Educational Equity for Multilingual Learners with Anya Hurwitz Artwork

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How Women Inspire: Invest, Lead, Give

Educational Equity for Multilingual Learners with Anya Hurwitz

April 23, 2025 • How Women Lead • Episode 165

Did you know over 60% of California families speak multiple languages at home? In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Anya Hurwitz, Executive Director of SEAL, to unravel the complexities and triumphs of educational equity for multilingual learners. We explore Dr. Hurwitz’s passionate dedication to redesigning education, balancing emotional support with systemic change, and empowering teachers to unlock the full potential of every child. Discover the power of language, the importance of cultural inclusion, and how to transform challenges into opportunities for collective impact. This week’s episode 165 of How Women Inspire Podcast is about educational equity for multilingual learners!

In this episode of How Women Inspire Podcast, Anya Hurwitz is sharing the importance of unlocking all of a child’s potential and actionable steps you can take right now to build a team of mentors and supporters in our lives.

Dr. Anya Hurwitz is the President and Executive Director of Sobrato Early Academic Language, a nonprofit in California that works with school districts, county offices of education, schools, preschool LEAs, teachers, families, California Department of Education, and many other education champions to advance educational outcomes of English Learners and Dual Language Learners. Dr. Anya has a longstanding commitment to creating the conditions for public schools to meet the diverse needs of their students’ academic and socio-emotional development. She has worked as a teacher, school leader, district administrator, and within the educational nonprofit sector.

Some of the talking points Julie and Anya go over in this episode include:

SEAL's mission to help multilingual learners in California and beyond learn, thrive, and lead.
Several barriers to multilingual education, including the historical context of language policies and the lack of bilingual teachers.
The balance between fear and courage in leadership roles.
The power of relationships across different ages and the importance of learning from younger people.

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CONNECT WITH ANYA HURWITZ:

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SEAL website

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Julia Castro Abrams

Host