“One of the most knowledgeable and passionate advocates for all things ELL.”
Kristina Robertson is one of the most knowledgeable and passionate advocates for all things “ELL”. I met Ms. Robertson when she was a national trainer for the AFT on the course that she collaboratively created, ELL 101. Ms. Robertson inspired, and guided me in my own advocacy efforts as a high school English as a New Language teacher in a high needs urban district. I am currently an independent evaluator for the ENL and bilingual teachers in my district, and many of Ms. Robertson’s research-based publications are included in my feedback to educators.
- Areli Schermerhorn
Independent Evaluator for the ENL and Bilingual teachers in the Syracuse City School District, AFT National Trainer on ELLs, NYSUT Instructor, Adjunct Professor for SUNY Oswego
“With Kristina, you get someone whose heart is in the work of conveying the importance of building bridges and empathy with the immigrant/ELL community.”
It is a pleasure to enthusiastically recommend Kristina Robertson. I have been fortunate and honored to work with her over the last two decades. From ESL teacher to professional development specialist to district administrator to researcher, Kristina has served in each of these capacities with distinction. She started working with me almost twenty years ago when the ELL work at the American Federation of Teachers was getting started. She was selected by her state federation president to be part of the AFT’s nationwide ELL Educator Cadre, an advisory task force. This group of expert practitioners laid the groundwork for Colorín Colorado, a collaborative project of the AFT and PBS Station WETA, and which has become the most widely used online resource for educators and families of ELLs in the country. As an AFT National Trainer, Kristina was also the lead developer of our national professional development course on ELLs. She continues to be one of our lead experts for advice, especially in challenging situations. I’ve always marveled at Kristina’s ease in interacting with various and diverse audiences of all backgrounds: from administrators to researchers to teachers to specialists to paraprofessionals and school-related personnel. With Kristina, you always get much more than the most professional competence you would hope for, you get someone whose heart is in the work of conveying the importance of building bridges and empathy with the immigrant/ELL community, someone who relishes giving guidance and down-to-earth coaching advice, and someone who respects and believes in educators.
- Giselle Lundy-Ponce
Manager, Educational Rights and Social Justice Initiatives and Policy
Educational Issues
American Federation of Teachers
“The process was eye-opening and inspiring and led us to implement changes that have positively impacted our student outcomes.”
I highly recommend partnering with Kristina Robertson to any school leader who seeks to improve academic outcomes for English Learners. Kristina led our team of administrators and teachers in Evanston/Skokie School District 65 through a year long comprehensive evaluation of our English Learner programs and supports. Working with Kristina we all gained invaluable insights on analyzing ACCESS data, engaging in root-cause analysis, and further data collection and action planning. Kristina not only gave us the tools to have these collaborative conversations, she also supported us in the construction of a meaningful and actionable plan. The process was eye-opening and inspiring and led us to implement changes that have positively impacted our student outcomes. The work we did together continues to inform my practice and prepared me to take on new challenges with confidence, thanks to the tools from Kristina!
- Lindsey Rose
Director of Languages NSSD112
“She focused on the needs of our schools and the background of our staff to plan sessions that would be meaningful and impactful.”
I have been fortunate to have participated in multiple workshops led by Kristina for the last seven years in various districts across our state. Her sessions were not only engaging and informative, but they always stood out because of the practical tools for teachers that she included along with the content. When our district recently invited Kristina to work with our EL network specialists, she focused on the needs of our schools and the background of our staff to plan sessions that would be meaningful and impactful. The professional learning prepared them for their work with teachers across our district in analyzing and teaching academic language.
- Anna Szuber
EL Program Director
Office of Language and Cultural Education
Chicago Public Schools