Literacy Across Languages

Brandon Cardet-Hernandez is an educator and leader whose career spans roles as a teacher, turnaround principal in the South Bronx, and leader within the New York City Department of Education, where he served as senior advisor of education to Mayor Bill de Blasio. As the son of immigrants and a former multilingual learner, his work is grounded in expanding opportunity and access for students through rigorous and equitable educational experiences.This episode explores the concept of the multilingual access gap, reframing disparities in student outcomes as issues of access and system capacity rather than ability. Brandon discusses how belonging, rigorous instruction, and strategic scaffolding intersect to support multilingual learners, while also examining the role of AI as a tool to enhance, rather than replace, thoughtful instructional design. The conversation highlights the tension between innovation and caution in adopting AI tools for the classroom, emphasizing that meaningful progress depends on aligning research, tools, and human connection.Key Takeaways:The achievement gap between English learners and monolingual English speakers is best understood as an access gap. It reflects differences in opportunity and system capacity rather than student ability.Belonging is foundational to learning for multilingual students. Students must feel safe and valued in order to take the risks required for language development.Students can engage in rigorous content when appropriate supports are in place. AI can support access when grounded in research-based instructional practices. It should enhance learning rather than simplify or dilute content.Timestamps:(00:00) Welcome to Literacy Across Languages!(01:36) Meet Brandon Cardet-Hernandez(04:58) Understanding the Multilingual Learner Access Gap(07:53) Medley Learning for Scaffolding Content for Multilingual Learners(10:52) Teacher and Student Agency in Linguistic Scaffolding(15:38) Opportunities and Cautions for Multilingual Education in the Age of AI(21:15) Increasing Teacher Capacity for Meeting the Needs of Diverse Learners(27:52) The Head Work and the Heart Work of Teaching Multilingual Learners(33:58) Takeaways for TeachingEpisode Resources:Learn more about Medley Learning and its approach to scaffolding existing curricula to enhance multilingual access.Explore the WIDA framework to better understand language development levels.Explore research-based scaffolding strategies for supporting multilingual learners at Colorín Colorado.Stay Connected:Visit us at ⁠literacyacrosslanguages.com⁠.Email us with questions or episode suggestions at [email protected] ⁠Mary⁠ and ⁠Katherine⁠ on LinkedIn.Like, subscribe, and share this episode with fellow educators, or share a review to help others find us!Keywords: multilingual learners, access gap, achievement gap, language development, literacy instruction, scaffolding, AI in education, EdTech, Medley Learning, teacher agency, belonging, classroom culture, cognitive demand, rigor, WIDA levels, language supports, instructional coherence, equity in education, bilingualism, biliteracy, family engagement, student agency, differentiated instruction, education technology, research to practice gap, multilingual education, language acquisition, culturally responsive teaching