CUNY-IIE hosted a rich discussion addressing ways to support immigrant-origin students in New York State PK-12 schools. This webinar delved into the ways that schools and districts are creatively staffing positions that enhance their ability to support immigrant-origin students and families. The expert panel shared potential solutions and strategies, including a discussion of the Immigrant Liaison pilot program that took place in New York City and that is being replicated in other parts of NYS. CUNY-IIE resources for creating immigrant liaison positions were also shared.
This webinar centered the Immigrant Liaison program, which was created through CUNY-IIE's collaboration with the New York State Youth Leadership Council (NYSYLC) and their educator team, Teach Dream.
The panel included:
Juan Carlos Pérez, College Advisor & CDOS Coordinator at International HS at Union Square
Shawnna Sweet, Director of Multilingual Education for the Greece Central School District
Lumari, Senior Student at Macaulay Honors College at Brooklyn College
Special remarks by :
Ross Garmil, Supervisor of Education Programs, Office of Bilingual Education and World Languages, NYSED
The webinar was moderated by:
Tamara Alsace, CUNY-IIE Associate Investigator
Rachel Duff, CUNY-IIE Project Researcher
Speaker bios:
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Juan Carlos Pérez is a DACAmented educator originally from Mexico who made the journey to the U.S. at the age of eleven. After graduating from the International HS at LaGuardia, he went on to obtain his Bachelor’s and Master’s in Education from Adelphi University. As the current College Advisor & CDOS Coordinator at International HS at Union Square, he supports students in planning their academic journeys and is committed to creating access to work-based opportunities for all students regardless of status. As an undocumented immigrant, he intimately understands the challenges associated with navigating spaces without a secure immigration status. That is why he has participated in the Immigrant Liaison Pilot Program and Policy Group with CUNY-IIE and is a member of Teach Dream at the NYSYLC.
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Shawnna Sweet is the Director of Multilingual Education for the Greece Central School District where she oversees ENL, World Languages, Bilingual Education and Language Access Services. She began her career in education as an ESOL teacher in Greece, where she taught students of all ages. Prior returning to Greece Central in 2022, Shawnna served as a specialist with the Mid-West RBERN at Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES, where she worked closely with NYSED’s Office of Bilingual Education and World Languages and local school districts to support multilingual learners. Additionally, she spent ten years as an adjunct faculty member at Nazareth College, working with graduate students in the TESOL and International TESOL programs. She currently serves on the NYSED Seal of Biliteracy Task Force and the NYSED ELL Graduation Work Group. Shawnna was also honored to serve as the 2024 President of NYS TESOL. She holds a B.A. in English with a minor in Secondary Education from St. John Fisher College, an M.S. in TESOL from Nazareth College, and Advanced Certificates in School Building and District Leadership from the Warner School of Education at the University of Rochester.
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Lumari is a Senior at Macaulay Honors College at Brooklyn College and a Dream U.S student, Majoring in Psychology with a minor in Anthropology.
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Ross Garmil is Supervisor of Education Programs in the Office of Bilingual Education and World Languages with the New York State Education Department. He has worked in education for over 20 years including work in higher education, adult education, and K-12 support. He has a bachelor's degree from Brandeis University and a master's in Educational Administration, Training, and Planning from Boston University.
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Tamara Alsace is career-long educator and scholar, Tammy is retired from the Buffalo Public Schools, where she held various positions over 32+ years, including bilingual elementary and special education teacher, and most recently as Director of Multilingual Education. Since “retiring”, she has worked as an independent consultant, and for the Regional Bilingual Education Resource Network (RBE-RN) and the Council of the Great City Schools. Dr. Alsace also serves on several non-profit boards and is active in professional & community organizations in Buffalo and at the state and national levels. A tireless advocate for the educational rights of multilingual/immigrant students and their families, she is a past president of the NYS Association for Bilingual Education (NYSABE) and currently co-chairs its Advocacy Committee. She is co-editor of the book Bilingual Special Education for the 21 st Century: A New Interface (IGI Global, 2022).
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Rachel Duff is an educator, organizer, and current PhD student in Urban Education at the Graduate Center, CUNY. She is from the Deep South and Puerto Rico, two integral parts of her positionality. She is a former educator of English for emergent multilingual students and has worked in education policy and research in both Washington, DC and Jacksonville, FL. Her research interests include understanding how early career educators develop critical consciousness and subsequently how critically conscious teachers impact student belonging and family engagement for newcomer and/or undocumented youth. Rachel obtained her bachelor’s in English Education at the University of North Florida and master’s in Educational Transformation at Georgetown University.
