Michelle Benegas, Ph.D.
Dr. Benegas is an assistant professor of TESOL for Hamline University's School of Education and Leadership and principal investigator on the ELM (English Learners in the Mainstream) Project, a $1.5 million National Professional Development grant-funded initiative through the US Department of Education. Benegas is the chair of the Teacher Education Interest Section of TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) International and Senior Editor of the MinneTESOL Journal. Co-authored with Dr. Amy Stolpestad, her book Teacher Leadership for School-Wide Engish Learning is a best-seller for TESOL Press.
In 2015, Dr. Benegas was President of MinneTESOL has been a vocal advocate for and contributor to the LEAPS Act - the most comprehensive legislation for English learners in the United States. Her 2014 TEDx Talk entitled Confessions: New Teacher of Newcomers tells of her early experiences teaching secondary ESL to Minnesota’s newcomer population. In her work with teachers and schools, she promotes a model in which ESL teachers serve as site-based experts and coaches to their colleagues. Her research interests include ESL teacher leadership, teacher leader identity, and systemic approaches to improving services for English learners.
New Book! Teacher Leadership for School-Wide English Learning
The Teacher Leadership for School-Wide English Learning guide provides a roadmap for capitalizing on the often untapped language expertise of ESL teachers. By providing teacher leaders with the tools needed to develop customized professional development and engage in nonevaluative peer instructional coaching, the School-Wide English Learning (SWEL) coaching model supports English learners’ academic success throughout the school day, not just when there is a language specialist in the room.