Alicia Alvarez-Calderon

Affiliation

North East ISD

Biography

Ms. Alvarez-Calderon currently serves as the Senior Director of Bilingual/ESL Programs for North East Independent School District (NEISD) in San Antonio, Texas. With 37 years of experience in education—each one dedicated to working with second language learners—she has made a profound impact at both the classroom and administrative levels. Her career began in bilingual classrooms in Lima, Peru, and continued in San Antonio, Texas, where she spent 21 years teaching emergent bilingual students. She later transitioned into educational leadership in Harlandale ISD, where she was appointed Bilingual Coordinator. There, she launched the district’s elementary dual language program, successfully implementing it in one of the city’s most economically disadvantaged areas. After five years of building a thriving program, she moved to her current leadership role in NEISD. As Senior Director, Ms. Alvarez-Calderon has led the alignment of the Dual Language Program across the district, fostering a shared vision for bilingual education among all stakeholders. Her leadership was instrumental in the district’s decision to expand the program through high school. Today, North East ISD offers dual language at 16 elementary schools, 5 middle schools, and 1 high school—representing approximately 32% of all campuses in the district. It now holds the distinction of operating the largest Dual Language Program in San Antonio. Her commitment and accomplishments have earned her a reputation as one of the most effective and influential leaders in the field of bilingual education.