Jennifer Altavilla-Giordano
Program Director, TESOL Multilingual Learner Education (Licensure)
Lecturer
Dr. Jennifer Altavilla-Giordano is a lecturer of language education and director of the TESOL Multilingual Learner Education (Licensure) program at BU Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. Her research focuses on professional development, preservice training, and instructional coaching for teachers who work with students classified as English learners. She is passionate about collaborating with districts, schools, and teachers through research-practice partnerships to improve multilingual learners’ school experiences and access to grade-level curriculum. Her work has been published in the International Multilingual Research Journal, the Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, Kappan, MATSOL Currents, and the Sacramento Bee. Additionally, she is a Posse Scholar mentor and a Terrier F1RSTS advocate for first-generation graduate students.
Previously, Dr. Altavilla-Giordano taught undergraduate and graduate students at Stanford University, Lesley University, and the Alder Graduate School of Education. She served as a literature instructional coach and dean of faculty for Breakthrough Silicon Valley, and consulted with the National Network of Education Research Practice Partnerships (NNERPP) and the Council of Great City Schools (CGCS). Before that, Dr. Altavilla-Giordano was an elementary and middle school teacher and English as a Second Language (ESL) program coordinator in Boston. She was also a course instructor for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Recent News
- BU Wheelock Scholarly Accomplishments March 2025
- Add-On ESL License: A Band-Aid, Not a Cure
- Improving School Experiences for English Learners
- BU Wheelock Welcomes New Faculty for Fall 2021
In the Media
Education
PhD, Educational Policy, Stanford Graduate School of Education
EdM, Teaching & Curriculum, Harvard Graduate School of Education
BA, Journalism and English Literature, New York University
Courses
WED BI 535: Literacy Development for Bilingual Students
WED TL 520/525: Teaching English Language Learners
WED BI 504: Seminar: The Student Teaching Experience (ESL)
WED TL 508: Methods of Teaching English as a Second Language
WED TL 508: Methods in Teaching English as a Second Language Online
WED ED 220: Theme-Based Approaches to Studying Complex Issues of Language in Education and Human Development
Selected Publications
Altavilla‐Giordano, J., & Monley, N. (2025). How teachers' beliefs and pedagogical practices are impacted by the experience of being labeled as an English learner. TESOL Journal, 16(1), e890. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.890
Altavilla-Giordano, J. & Blitz, E. (2023). Reimagining preparation for teachers of designated English learners. Phi Delta Kappan, 105(2). https://kappanonline.org/reimagining-preparation-for-teachers-of-english-learners-altavilla-giordano/
Altavilla-Giordano, J. (2023). Certified, but not an expert: Advantages and limitations of add-on ESL licensure. MATSOL Currents, 45(2). https://www.matsol.org/assets/Currents/MATSOL_Currents_Fall-Winter_2023.pdf
Biernacki, P. J., Altavilla, J., Kanopka, K., Hsieh, H., & Solano-Flores, G. (2022). Long-term English learners’ mathematics course trajectories: downstream consequences of early remediation on college preparation. International Multilingual Research Journal, 1-17. [Online Advance].
Altavilla, J.M., Elosua, P., and Solano-Flores, G. (2021). Language and socioeconomic factors impacting mathematics achievement in the Basque Autonomous Community. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2020.1865382
Altavilla, J.M. (2020). How technology affects instruction for English learners. Phi Delta Kappan, 102(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/0031721720956841
Altavilla, J.M., Biernacki, P., Solano-Flores, G., Valdés, G., & Garcia Fontana, R. (2020). Disentangling educational structural inequity: Spanning trees of mathematics course-taking trajectories in a high school. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 39(1).
Selected Presentations
Altavilla-Giordano, J. & Blitz, E. (2023, May). Reimagining the sheltered English immersion (SEI) endorsement course: Lessons for K-12 leaders. Presented at the Massachusetts Association of Teachers of Speakers of Other Languages Conference, Framingham, MA.
Altavilla-Giordano, J. (2023, February). Teacher perceptions of the English learner designation. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education, Indianapolis, IN.
Altavilla-Giordano, J. (2022, September). Teaching language objectives using next generation ESL curriculum resources. Presented at the WIDA Conference, Louisville, KY.
Altavilla-Giordano, J. (2022, May). Using linguagrams as a teacher education tool. Presented at the Massachusetts Association of Teachers of Speakers of Other Languages Conference (Virtual Conference).
Altavilla, J.M. (2021, April). Supervise or Support: How Coaches Make Decisions During Professional Development for Teachers of English Learners. Paper presented at the conference of the American Educational Research Association, Orlando, FL. (Virtual Conference).