Your CARE Coaching Team

Learning Forward Language of Coaching Graduate

Amy King has more than 20 years of experience in the field of English language teaching and learning both in the US and overseas. Before joining WCEPS, Ms. King was a Senior Professional Learning Specialist at WIDA for more than six years. She taught ESL in K–12 public schools, private language schools, and adult education programs. Internationally, she has tau...

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Learning Forward Language of Coaching Graduate

Babatunji Ifarinu (Tunji) graduated from Florida A & M University with an undergraduate degree in History and Geography with teacher certification and earned an M.Ed at Georgia State University in Educational Leadership and Supervision. Conducting workshops on equity and access for culturally and linguistically diverse students, Tunji has advocated for stud...

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Learning Forward Language of Coaching Graduate

Daniel Yip has been an educator of multilingual learners (MLLs) for 17 years in PK-12 public school environments and university-level, both in the USA and in China. He has provided direct and co-taught support to MLLs at every grade level. His mission is to provide differentiated coaching that allows teams of educators to develop an instructional program that serves every student; using race, language, culture, and experience as an asset for the student. 

As an instructional coach as part of his district's elementary curriculum team, he has designed, collaborated on, and facilitated professional learning for novice and veteran educator groups on the latest research, data analysis, educational technology, and instructional pedagogy for culturally and linguistically diverse students. He has also provided direct support to teacher, leadership, and administrative teams at PK-5 school sites. 

He earned his Masters of Arts in Teaching in TESOL from American University, DC in 2009 and continued on to receive an Administrative and Supervisory certification from Hood College in 2019. His endorsements include PK-12 TESOL, 7-12 English, and Administrative and Supervisory II (Principalship) licensure from Maryland. 

Learning Forward Language of Coaching Graduate

Katie is a dual language educator from Woodstock, Illinois. She began her career as a primary Spanish-English dual language teacher and has spent nearly 15 years as a dual language facilitator, working to help grow and strengthen the dual language program which spans PreK-12th grade. 

Katie enjoys working with teachers to expand their capacity to help language learners thrive. She has undertaken various professional development initiatives in the areas of language acquisition and literacy and has led the development of units of instruction for biliteracy. She teaches in a local university’s ESL endorsement program, preparing educators to meet the needs of their diverse learners. 

Katie holds a bachelor's degree in elementary education with a minor in Spanish and she holds a masters degree in educational leadership with an endorsement in bilingual and ESL education. 

Katie is passionate about additive language acquisition. She and her husband are raising their young children bilingually and Katie marvels at the language and literacy development of her two young children. 

Learning Forward Language of Coaching Graduate

With over 25 years of experience in both private and public education as an English, ELL and Bilingual instructor, Laura Chávez-Dávalos is currently the director of the Office of Learning Services at Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago). In this role she oversees the provision of the college’s Bridge Program, academic strategies courses, peer tutoring, peer mentoring, academic coaching, study tables and disability services. 

A former high school ELL department chair, she has taught all levels of high school ELL and team-taught content courses to multilingual learners at the high school level. At the college level, she has taught ELL Composition and Bilingual Methods to aspiring educators.  

Chávez-Dávalos is a native of El Paso, Texas, who obtained a BA in English and MA in Curriculum and Instruction from New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Cross-cultural and bilingual, Chávez-Dávalos is dedicated to removing barriers to student success at all levels and excited to serve as a CARE Coach at WCEPS.

Learning Forward Language of Coaching Graduate

Mishelle is a veteran bilingual teacher from the state of New Mexico. In her 20+ years in the classroom she has taught Spanish as a Modern Language, Spanish for Heritage Speakers, and for the last ten years was instrumental in developing and aligning Spanish and English language arts for emergent bilingual students and multilingual students in a secondary environment. She has been a Bilingual Coordinator and now she currently works as the Biliteracy Coach in Albuquerque, New Mexico for her local school district. Together with her colleagues, she helped develop a portfolio process for multilingual students to attain the Bilingual Seal of Literacy offered by Albuquerque Public Schools and the State of New Mexico Department of Education. She now coaches full time individual teachers, Professional Learning Communities and administrators. 

She has a BA in Spanish and Sociology, an MA in Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies with an emphasis in Bilingual Education, and is ABD at the University of New Mexico. Mishelle has also been on the board for Dual Language of New Mexico for 12 years. She has worked with WIDA in her state and as an employee. She is very excited to come back and work with WCEPS as a contractor. She believes that true innovation and collaboration are at the hands of empowered teachers. The more knowledgeable the educator and administrator, the better we are able to serve students. 

Mishelle and her husband Aldo, have two bilingual children in college, one who is on her way to becoming a bilingual educator like her mamá and the other a professional storyteller. In her home, bilingualism is celebrated and exalted to the point that her children could someday become stand-up comedians dedicated to the fusion of Spanish and English. For Mishelle and her family, bilingualism is not just something out of a book or a theory—it’s a way of life.

Learning Forward Language of Coaching Graduate

Mrs. Sampson has been an educator for over twenty years. She has worked in the university and public school settings.   Her mission is to provide targeted school support and coaching that results in equitable outcomes for all students regardless of race, socioeconomic status, ability, or linguistic assets.  Mrs. Sampson has developed and led a continuum of programs to support leaders, staff, students, and families in early childhood through college as well as to raise awareness and take action to end racial and social injustice. 

Mrs. Sampson has been an instructional leader for seventeen years, including six years as a principal. In this position, she worked with stakeholders to develop an instructional program that was rigorous and inclusive for all learners. She developed and implemented a peer observation program across schools, ESOL, and content co-teaching pairs at every grade level.  These shifts in the instructional program and targeted professional development for teachers resulted in double-digit growth for multilingual learners and students with Individualized Education Plans in mathematics and literacy on the state assessment. She received the Montgomery County ESOL Principal of the Year Award during her tenure. 

Mrs. Sampson has supervised K-12 ESOL programs in two Maryland public school districts. As a district leader, she coordinates and implements professional learning communities, She provides direct school support and coaching for teachers, teacher leaders, administrators, and leadership teams on leading for equity, school improvement design, curriculum and assessment implementation, data analysis, the instructional cycle, and the intersectionality of language development and culture. Mrs. Sampson has implemented school protocols for instructional rounds that included observation, feedback, and action planning aligned to school improvement plans.  Mrs. Sampson currently serves as an elected member of the Local Education Advisory Executive Board for WIDA.  Her other professional experiences include teacher, counselor, and district-level supervisor of science, social studies, and grading and reporting.