About the LEA Committee
About the LEA Committee
Embedded Files
The LEA (Local Education Agency) Committee serves as the vital voice of educators and leaders working directly in schools and organizations with multilingual learners. Our members bring firsthand insights and experiences from the frontlines of education, advocating for the needs of students and colleagues alike.
Recognizing the urgency to equip educators with the highest quality tools, we are committed to curating and vetting resources that are both effective and research-based. We actively gather and analyze information on pressing topics impacting multilingual learners, ensuring that educators have access to the most relevant and reliable solutions.
Through collaboration and a shared sense of purpose, the LEA Committee works to bridge the gap between policy and practice, empowering educators with the resources and support they need to foster equitable and inclusive learning environments for all multilingual students.
The committee meets on the second Tuesday of the month from 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm ET/12:00 pm - 1 pm CT, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm MT, 10:00 am - 11:00 am PT
Jill Bessette
Jill Bessette
Jill Bessette brings 25+ years of experience in education and is dedicated to prioritizing access to high quality teaching and learning for multilingual learners in Connecticut. Jill currently serves as a Regional Education Specialist for Multilingual Learner Education at LEARN in Connecticut. Since 2013, she has been an Adjunct Instructor at the University of St. Joseph’s TESOL Graduate Degree program in Hartford, CT. Her diverse background includes roles as an elementary classroom teacher, middle school TESOL teacher, and Mathematics Curriculum & Instruction Coordinator. Jill has shared her work focused on anti-racism and linguistic equity for multilingual learners at both the state and national levels. She is completing a doctorate degree in Teaching English as a Second or Other Language (TESOL) at Anaheim University. Jill has been a Member - at - Large on the Executive Board of NAELPA since 2022 and is co-chairing the newly formed LEA Committee, dedicated to projecting the voices of the Local Education Agencies within the NAELPA membership.
Deborah Wilkes
Deborah Wilkes
Deborah Wilkes currently services as the ESL Coordinator for Cumberland County Schools, NC. Deborah has been a member of NAEPLA since 2019 and is a former NAELPA Executive Board Member At-Large. Deborah brings 32 years of experience in TESL both nationally and internationally, 23 years of which have been in Public Schools in NC. Deborah holds a Master’s degree in Education with ESL from Meredith College in NC and was named North Carolina’s Migrant Education Teacher of the Year in 2003. Deborah is a National Board Certified Teacher of English as a New Language and received the Carolina TESOL Distinguished Service Award in November of 2021.
Deborah’s professional experience includes roles such as ESL Lead Teacher, district-wide SIOP Coach, high school SIOP Co-Teacher, district-wide ESL Instructional Facilitator, State ESL Consultant, State Curriculum and Professional Development writer. Deborah Education Instructor and TESL consultant for the University of North Carolina Wilmington, UNC-Chapel Hill, Duke, and NC State University.
Deborah has worked extensively with the NC Department of Public Instruction to develop programs and curriculum for EL/ML students and particularly enjoys working alongside classroom teachers to design instruction and materials to meet the needs of EL/ML populations.
Page updated
Report abuse