Advancing Multilingual Learner Literacy: District Leadership in Action

About the Presenters

Sonja Bloetner serves as a director of the multilingual education program in a large suburban district in Maryland. She oversees the K-12 curriculum, professional development, and instruction with over 13,000 Multilingual Learners enrolled in the program. Her work focuses on leading district-level improvement efforts in collaboration with other leaders in her district. She has been a central office leader for over 25 years in the state of Maryland.

In her 39 years as an educator, inclusion specialist, program coordinator, administrator, and professional developer, Marybelle Marrero-Colón has acquired experience within the fields of ESL, bilingual education, bilingual special education, special education instruction and evaluation, content area instruction, and professional development. She has adjuncts at various colleges and universities in teacher preparation programs. These include, but are not limited to, Central Connecticut State University, College of New Rochelle, College of Mount Saint Vincent, and the University of Maryland-Baltimore Campus. At the current time, Marybelle is the Associate Director of Professional Development Relations for Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL).

For the Center for Applied Linguistics, she has provided coaching, workshops, and presentations for schools, districts, national conferences, and various education-based organizations on topics involving bilingual students, English learners, dually identified students, and second language acquisition. Marybelle has a B.A. in psychology and Spanish language and literature, an M.A. in bilingual special education, and an M.S. in administration and supervision with a specialty in professional development. She is also a U.S. Department of Education Title VII Fellow in Bilingual Special Education. In her spare time, Marybelle is an avid reader, cook, and crafter.

Dr. Kia Johnson is Senior Director of PreK–12 Professional Development and Evaluations at the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL), where she leads research-based training, coaching, and evaluation initiatives that strengthen instructional practices and program quality for multilingual learners. She has more than 17 years of experience as an educator, leader, and policy specialist, having served as an ESL teacher, department chair, and English Learner Assessment and Title III Specialist at the Virginia Department of Education. In that role, she oversaw statewide implementation of WIDA’s assessments and Title III compliance for Virginia’s 115,000 English learners. Her research, which examines the leadership practices of EL Program Directors in low-incidence districts, reflects her commitment to equity-centered leadership and integrating language, identity, and culture into instructional systems. Dr. Johnson holds a doctorate in Educational Leadership for Social Justice from Loyola Marymount University.