Dr. Ayanna Cooper, Ed.D, is an ELL specialist who focuses on the professional development for ELL educators. A former English as a Second Language teacher, ELL Instructional Coach, urban teacher supervisor and Director for an English language learner program, Dr. Cooper has presented extensive professional development on teaching English learners including using the WIDA English language proficiency standards. Dr. Cooper has diverse experience teaching educators, both pre-service and in-service, how to enhance instruction for culturally and linguistically diverse learners. She currently works closely with educators in various states. ESL teacher efficacy and effective professional development are two of her areas of research interest. Dr. Cooper has taught graduate level courses for a variety of institutes of higher education.
She is currently serving a second term on TESOL’s Professional Development Standing Committee and serves as TESOL’s Black English Language Professional and Friends Forum leader. Ayanna is featured in this interview with Colorín Colorado and will be presenting as part of TESOL’s upcoming webinar, Implications and Applications of the Common Core Standards for Effectively Teaching K-6 ELLs: Focus on English and Mathematics.
Books by This Author
And Justice for ELs
And Justice for ELs is a resource every school leader must read right away — for that matter, keep within arm’s reach because you’re certain to refer to it constantly. Dr. Ayanna Cooper, a former U.S. Department of State English Language Specialist, has “been there, done that” and is now prepared to share with you how best to translate today’s federal mandates into actionable steps for ensuring the civil rights of our nation’s multilingual learners.
Evaluating ALL Teachers of English Learners and Students With Disabilities
Teacher evaluation can be a valuable tool for evaluators and teachers alike. But it should never be used in a “one-size-fits-all” manner, especially when evaluating all teachers who work with the nation’s growing numbers of English learners (ELs) and students with disabilities.
Books by This Editor
Black Immigrants in the United States: Essays on the Politics of Race, Language, and Voice
"What makes the Black immigrant and refugee experience unique? How does it feel to be a Black immigrant or refugee? How is being African American different from being a Black immigrant or refugee? This timely and relevant volume answers these and many more questions by capturing the diversity of Black immigrant and refugee populations. Conceived at the intersection of race, politics, language, culture, education, social justice, and immigration, this book provides a voice for a largely silent (and silenced) population and reveals its complexities in a variety of contexts.
Articles
Blog Entries
- Administrators in Action: Four Steps for Strengthening Your EL Program
- Common Core and ELLs: Planning Professional Development About Academic Language (Part 2)
- Common Core and ELLs: Planning Professional Development for Colleagues (Part 1)
- Using Writing Prompts with ELLs: My Summer Vacation (Part 3)
- Science and Language: Making Connections with the Next Generation Science Standards
