Closing the Literacy Gap: Supporting California’s English Learners in Middle School

About the Presenters

Denise Macias is the ACSA Region 14 Principal of the Year and serves as Principal of Fedde Middle School in the ABC Unified School District. Before moving into school leadership, she spent nearly a decade in the classroom as a history teacher. Denise holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and a Single Subject Teaching Credential from California State University, Long Beach, as well as a master’s degree and administrative credential from Concordia University Irvine.   

Dr. Claude Goldenberg is the Nomellini & Olivier Professor of Education, emeritus, at Stanford University. He received his A.B. in history from Princeton University and M.A. and Ph.D. from the Graduate School of Education at the University of California, Los Angeles. He has taught junior high school in San Antonio, TX, and first grade in a bilingual elementary school in Los Angeles. A native of Argentina, his areas of research centered on promoting academic achievement among language minority students, particularly those from Spanish-speaking backgrounds. Dr. Goldenberg was on the National Research Council's Committee for the Prevention of Early Reading Difficulties in Young Children and on the National Literacy Panel, which synthesized research on literacy development among language-minority children and youth. He continues writing, speaking, volunteering, and consulting on literacy research and policy and on promoting literacy development among students not yet proficient in English.

Graciela García-Torres is the Director of Multilingual Educational Services and the California Region 3 Title III Lead at the Sacramento County Office of Education. She collaborates with county, district, school, and charter educators to build equitable practices and responsive environments for multilingual English learners. She leads the statewide Educational Workforce Investment grant to implement the English Learner Roadmap and directs the Bilingual Teacher Professional Development Program grant. She has served on the English Learner Progress Indicator (ELPI) Workgroup and the EL Roadmap Advisory Committee. Over her 29 years in education, Graciela has been an English learner programs director, a curriculum and instruction coordinator, a PreK-8 principal, and a bilingual teacher. She has guided administrators and teachers in developing Long-Term English Learner courses, pathways to biliteracy, and dual language programs. Graciela holds a master’s in multilingual/multicultural education. Her experience as a migrant student has enriched her understanding of English learners.

Caroline Davidson is the Associate Manager of Learning Design at World Book, where she shapes educational resources that support meaningful learning. A former classroom teacher, she spent years working with students in upper elementary and middle school and holds endorsements in Reading K–12 and Mathematics K–8. She earned her M.A. in differentiated instruction, bringing both hands-on teaching experience and academic expertise to her work in creating effective, learner-centered content.

ClassMate by World Book provides trusted, literacy-driven learning across subjects to bridge the gap between content access and meaningful learning. The platform builds knowledge with literacy supports that use trusted content and responsible AI to strengthen understanding in every classroom. Learn more at classmate.worldbook.com.