The SupportEd team traveled south to Louisville, Kentucky for the 2022 Annual WIDA Conference on September 28 – 30. SupportEd hosted an exhibitor booth and presented two session topics in person and one topic virtually during the span of the conference. This year’s conference theme was Advancing Learning Together.

“If we’ve learned anything over the past few years, it’s that we’re at our best when we’re working together. This is especially true for all of us who serve multilingual learners,” explained Tim Boals, WIDA founder and director.

Diane Staehr Fenner, PhD, Sydney Snyder, PhD, and Mindi Teich, MEd pose in front of the SupportEd exhibit booth during the annual WIDA conference.

SupportEd’s first session topic, Engaging Multilingual Learners in Self-Assessment and Goal Setting, consisted of both an in-person and virtual format with over 600 participants attending online and maximum capacaity reached during the in-person session. Sessions included open discussions and a public Padlet accessible with notes, resources, and session slides. The session was facilitated  by Sydney Snyder, PhD, Principal Associate; Mindi Teich, MEd, ML Coach; and Meghan Gregoire-Smith, MA, ML Coach.  

Diane Staehr Fenner and Mindi Teich present Social Emotional Learning (SEL) to Foster Equity for Multilingual Learners.

 The second session topic, Social Emotional Learning (SEL) to Foster Equity for Multilingual Learners, was hosted by SupportEd founder and president, Diane Staehr Fenner, PhD and Mindi Teich, MEd, ML Coach. The session was workshop style and included a public Padlet of resources and session notes available to the session which reached participation limit. 

SEL content has been at the forefront of Staehr Fenner’s and Teich’s work as the two ML experts have been collaborating on writing a book on social emotional learning. The book is expected to be released in  2023 and will be published by Corwin.  

Sydney Snyder, PhD, chats with participants during Engaging Multilingual Learners in Self Assessment and Goal Setting.

“Educators are hungry for SEL content, and attendees at our session really proved that. We could have easily made that session a full day as so many discussed and shared issues and ideas,” stated Staehr Fenner. “It really goes to show we are creating meaningful content educators need right now and can apply to their context every day.” 

About WIDA
WIDA provides language development resources to those who support the academic success of multilingual learners. We offer a comprehensive, research-based system of language standards, assessments, professional learning and educator assistance. WIDA’s trusted resources are used by 41 domestic states and territories and approximately 500 international schools throughout the world. 

About SupportEd
SupportEd, LLC is a woman-owned small business based in Fairfax, VA specializing in Multilingual Learners (MLs). Founded in 2011 by Dr. Diane Staehr Fenner, best-selling author and ML expert, SupportEd meticulously crafts customized solutions to fit each client’s strengths, needs, and provides teachers and administrators the practical tools necessary to champion MLs’ success within and beyond the classroom. All SupportEd team members have prior experience in the classroom which enables the SupportEd team to provide realistic, actionable solutions. Services include online and in-person immersive professional development workshops, easy-to-implement tools and resources, and an array of supporting services. Visit supported.com or call (202) 660-1444 to learn more.