Lydia Escobar

Affiliation

Kissimmee Middle School

Biography

Dr. Lydia Escobar is an ESOL Educational Specialist with the School District of Osceola County, passionately advocating for English Language Learners and Multilingual students in middle school. She has a diverse teaching background, having worked in the Bilingual program in Texas and as a Secondary Language Arts teacher in Central Florida. Her dedication has earned her numerous accolades, including Florida Reading Association Middle School Teacher of the Year (2015), Kissimmee Middle School Teacher of the Year (2016), and was finalist nominated for Osceola County School's Teacher of the Year (2017). She was recognized by the Florida House of Representatives in 2016 and the Hispanic Chapter of Commerce in 2017, and was named Woman of the Year in Central Florida by the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper in 2017. Dr. Escobar is a respected speaker, presenting at events for the Florida Reading Association, the Puerto Rican Bar Association of Florida, WIDA, and NABE. Originally from Puerto Rico, she holds an associate degree in Biology, a bachelor's degree in Secondary English Language, a master's degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Phoenix (2002), a professional degree in Dual Language from the University of Central Florida (2020), and a doctoral degree in Organizational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University (2023). Her recent research, Professional Development and Teachers’ Self-Efficacy Regarding Research-Based Practices for English Language Learners in Middle School, was completed in 2023 after 20 years of dedicated research in education.