College of Education Faculty and Students Present at Association for Bilingual Education Conference

Faculty and students from Niagara University's College of Education were featured presenters at the annual conference of the New York State Association for Bilingual Education, April 3-6, 2024, in Syracuse, N.Y.

Assistant professor Dr. Elizabeth Falzone and TESOL program teacher candidates Amanda Ackley and Nick Endres discussed teacher candidates' experiences learning about culturally responsive teaching and how it empowers students and improves learning outcomes in their presentation, "Building Bridges Through Stories: Teacher Candidates Learn How to Empower Multilingual Learners Through Experiential Learning."

Dr. Falzone also co-presented research related to the New York State Seal of Biliteracy with assistant professor Dr. Karen Poland, and NU trustee Denise Góñez-Santos, school improvement specialist at RBERN West, presented her work on the New York State Indigenous Culture and Language Studies Certification.

Dr. Falzone serves as a delegate-at-large of the organization, which advocates for and supports high-quality bilingual education programs in New York state, emphasizing the importance of bilingualism and biliteracy for equitable educational opportunities and socio-emotional development of students from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds.