Benegas gives keynote on multilingual learner success

Michelle Benegas, associate professor of TESOL in the School of Education and Leadership, delivered the keynote address, "Many Hands, One Purpose," at the New York State TESOL annual conference on Nov. 7. 

The virtual address examined the school systems that make multilingual learner success possible, drawing on the five elements of the Systemic Infrastructure for Multilingual Success framework that she developed. 

She also spoke about the long history of support between educators in New York and Minnesota, dating to 1946, when New York's teachers' federation sent a $1,500 check to support striking teachers in Saint Paul. That same spirit of solidarity continued during the recent period of heightened immigration enforcement, as teachers in both states shared strategies to keep their communities safe. New York educators also drew on materials created by Hamline's own Adult Basic Education Teaching and Learning Advancement System.

Benegas directs the K-12 branch of Hamline's MA TESOL program, including ESL licensure. Her scholarship centers on school infrastructure to support language learning.