Elise White Diaz

Affiliation

Seidlitz Education

Biography

Elise White Diaz is well-versed in the challenges facing diverse students from difficult backgrounds. Elise’s passion for trauma-informed pedagogy began when she moved to Tegucigalpa, Honduras to serve at a school for child laborers in the garbage dump. There she taught bilingual and ESL classes to students who overcame seemingly insurmountable obstacles to go on to college. Upon returning to the United States, Elise brought her experiences to a diverse district in North Texas and served in secondary ESL education. She wove together principles from culturally relevant, trauma-informed education and language acquisition in innovative ways, and brought dramatic gains to standardized test (STAAR) scores. Soon after, she began to mentor and coach teachers on how to recreate these routines. Elise has served various roles in multilingual education, including co-teaching, instructional coaching, writing curriculum, and offering professional development to Texas schools. As a consultant for Seidlitz Education, Elise enjoys supporting teachers in their important work of building language and connection across cultures and obstacles. She holds a Master’s degree from Fuller Seminary in Intercultural Studies and lives in the Dallas area with her husband and two children. She continues her advocacy work with organizations such as NAELPA and Women-for-Orphans-Worldwide and returns to Central America wherever she can.