The English Language Development (ELD) Recognition Award (ERA) was created to honor the extraordinary work of North Carolina public school ESL teachers who advance multilingual learners’ academic, linguistic, and personal success. The selection process was designed by a group of ML educators from districts and charters across the state, in consultation with the NCDPI ML/Title III Team.
This award recognizes outstanding ELD educators whose portfolios demonstrate excellence in pedagogy, teacher leadership, student impact, and vision for multilingual learner education. This is the 3rd year that NCDPI has awarded an ERA.
Astrid Emily Francis
Astrid Emily Francis is a nationally recognized English as a Second Language educator, author, and speaker based in North Carolina. She currently teaches at Concord High School, serving multilingual learners across a range of English proficiency levels.
Originally from Guatemala, Emily’s personal journey as an English Language Learner profoundly shaped her commitment to education and advocacy. She holds a B.A. in Spanish and a master's degree in teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from UNC Charlotte. Her work as a professional development facilitator and keynote speaker centers on responsive instruction, language development, and student empowerment. Emily is an author as well. As a leader, she is driven to inspire students to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more.
|
 |
|
Emily Perez
Emily Perez is a National Board Certified ESL educator and ESL Lead Teacher for Gaston County Schools. She is passionate about advocating for multilingual learners and their families, empowering educators through collaboration and professional learning, and ensuring all students have access to rigorous and meaningful learning opportunities. Emily holds a Master of Arts in Teaching in Teaching English as a Second Language from UNC Charlotte. As a spouse of a first-generation immigrant and mother, her work is deeply personal and grounded in the belief that every multilingual learner deserves to be seen, valued, and empowered to succeed.
|
Audrey Vinson
Audrey Vinson is an English Language Development (ELD) Specialist, working at New Hope Elementary School in the Orange County Schools system. With nearly two decades of experience in multilingual education, she is an advocate for student-centered, asset-based learning. Through collaboration and co-teaching, she actively supports her colleagues in building engaging, inclusive classroom communities. Her investment in her students and the broader school community has paid off. The students she works with consistently show growth and proficiency on language and grade-level assessments. Audrey has presented her work, focused on integrating language development and project-based learning, at district, state, and national events, including the National WIDA Conference.
|
The Summer Conference is Just Around the Corner!
The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction’s Office of Teaching and Learning proudly presents the 2026 Growing Success for Multilingual Learners (MLs) and The Standards Academy Summer Conference. This unique professional learning opportunity brings together two outstanding conferences in one location, offering educators, instructional leaders, and administrators access to sessions focused on multilingual learner success, standards-based instruction, leadership, innovation, and equitable practices.
- In person on June 23rd - 25th in Johnston County at Cleveland High School, 1892 Polenta Road in Clayton
- Virtual Summer Conference sessions will take place from
July 13th through the 16th
Register today—don't miss this outstanding professional development experience!
Participants can choose from a variety of leadership and instructional tracks featuring topics such as relationship-driven leadership, family engagement, teacher recruitment and retention, AI-supported instruction, academic discourse, literacy development, culturally responsive teaching, and equitable access for multilingual learners.
Are you looking for powerful ways to make an impact in the Science classroom?
- Static Electricity: Getting a Charge out of Phenomena (K-5, 6-12)
- Supporting Multilingual Learners in Science
Would you like to explore the new MTSS key actions and how they empower ML students?
- MTSS That Works for Multilingual Learners: Strengthening Core Instruction for Equitable Access
Do you want to contribute to the conversation around helping MLs leverage their strengths in the Content Areas?
- Arts Education and the Four Artistic Practices
- Building Confidence to Teach Health Education
- Co-Teaching in an ELA Classroom
- Aligning CTE and 9-12 Computer Science Standards
See you this summer!
Register today
|
PD Opportunities and Resources
You still have time to complete a WIDA Workshop! These are free for all NC teachers.
WIDA and NCDPI are here to help you make the most of it!
Twelve self-paced workshops designed to help K–12 educators expand their skills, collaborate with colleagues, and deepen their impact with multilingual learners are available to educators in participating member education agencies.
Have a WIDA Account? You can access the workshops by logging into your existing WIDA account.
Do you need access? Contact your school or district's testing coordinators if you need an account to access the WIDA e-learning site.
Remember: Self-paced workshops are available through August 31, 2026.
Webinar Recording on Aligning Curriculums to the WIDA ELD Standards Framework
The WIDA Webinar “Strategies for Aligning Your Curriculums to the WIDA ELD Standards Framework” recording is available. During this webinar, participants explored a genre-based approach to analyzing and strengthening the integration of content and language in curricula across three criteria.
Access this webinar and accompanying resources for free.
Featured Resource: Kick off Summer Learning with WIDA Webinars
Find inspiration as you reflect on this last school year and get ready for the next with WIDA Webinars. WIDA Webinars offer insights and resources on a variety of topics relevant to educators of multilingual learners. Here are a couple of recorded webinars we think you should check out this summer.
Find the entire list of WIDA Webinar recordings on the Resources/Recursos page of the WIDA website.
News You Can Use
Superintendent Maurice “Mo” Green Launches Parent Advisory Council to Strengthen Family Voice
The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction has launched the North Carolina Superintendent’s Parent Advisory Council, a statewide initiative to strengthen family engagement and support implementation of the state’s Strategic Plan.
The Council will include parent leaders from across North Carolina, with representation from each of the eight State Board of Education regions. Members will provide input on key initiatives, help build trust, and ensure family voices are included in shaping the future of public education.
For this initiative, “parent” includes primary caregivers, such as guardians and family members who play a central role in a child’s education.
Parents and caregivers may apply beginning June 4, 2026. Applications are due by September 15, 2026.
District, charter school, and lab school leaders are encouraged to share this opportunity and help identify strong candidates. Applicants may also indicate whether they were encouraged or nominated by their local Public School Unit.
The Superintendent will appoint 16–24 members to the Council. Selected members will participate in a virtual orientation on school governance, funding, accountability, education systems, and Strategic Plan priorities.
The Council will begin meeting quarterly in November 2026. Most meetings will be virtual, and members will serve two-year terms.
Apply or learn more.
Contact:
Rupen Fofaria
Director, Office of the State Board of Education
rupen.fofaria@dpi.nc.gov
2026-2027 ELA SCOS Webinar Series Kicks Off in September!
Join the NCDPI ELA Team throughout the 2026-27 school year for an exciting webinar series focused on the newly adopted 2026 English Language Arts Standard Course of Study! Each session in this series will spotlight a specific strand of the standards, providing educators with the opportunity to deepen their understanding and prepare for successful implementation beginning in the 2027–28 school year.
During each webinar, participants will:
- gain an overview of the featured strand, including its purpose, structure, and design.
- explore key resources and unpacking documents to build a deeper understanding of the standards and objectives within that strand.
- reflect on the instructional shifts needed to support effective teaching and learning aligned to the new standards.
Dates and Registration | Register for each session using the links below or via the promotional flyer.
New 2025-2026 Strand Maps
The NCDPI K-12 Science section has released four new strand maps representing the 2023 Science Standards. Strand maps show how concepts learned in early elementary grow in sophistication and complexity as students progress from Kindergarten through 12th grade. The maps articulate the vertical progression a student experiences as he or she works toward mastery of a concept or core idea. These maps are intended to be used by groups of teachers as they plan for curriculum, instruction, and assessment. The full set of strand maps can be accessed on the K-12 Science hub on the Instructional Resources page.
NC College Connect Program Updates
As you prepare to close out the school year, we wanted to provide you with some additional materials to ensure you are sharing with juniors before the summer and set up for a successful fall. Watch our
Resources
Inside the NC College Connect Resources Folder is a host of resources you can use. Here is the link to the explainer slides for you to use and share with students and families. Please click on this link to access the pre-recorded overview. You will find:
- NCCC - 2026 Kickoff - One Pager - to distribute and share with students now
- NCCC - 2026 Kickoff - Social Graphic - to share on your social media platforms
- NCCC - 2026 Ed Pro Slides - Information for educators to learn about the program
- NCCC - 2026 Explainer Slides - Information for educators to share with students, families, etc.
- NCCC - 2026 YouTube Recorded Overview Link - Feel free to select closed captioning if needed
Data Pull and Scheduling Guidance
It is important for ALL staff to work together to ensure all students are included for the one data pull this fall on September 9th.
NC College Connect Data Pull and Scheduling Guidance | NC Department of Public Instruction
Arts Education Honors Implementation Support
Local Honors Implementation for Entrance Levels: This three-part webinar series will support schools in preparing for the launch of Honors-level Arts Education courses at the Novice, Developing, Beginning, and Intermediate levels in 2027–28. Participants will explore state expectations for Honors coursework to begin developing locally aligned honors tasks, assessments, and instructional approaches that reflect authentic arts rigor. This session is for High School Arts Educators, District Arts Education Leaders, and Honors Implementation Coordinators.
Registration.
|
Follow Us on Social Media!
Join the conversation today!
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on Instagram
Let’s keep building a strong, connected community for multilingual learners together. We can’t wait to see you online!
|
