Sandra Gutiérrez

Affiliation

University of Maryland

Biography

Sandra N. Gutiérrez is a life-long bilingual educator committed to social justice and quality education for all children. She has 22 years of experience as a teacher, coach, leader and consultant in PreK-12 schools and systems. After working for multiple World Bank education projects in Latin America, she became an ESOL teacher to have a greater impact in her local immigrant community. In the classroom, she made sure her students learned to read and write critically, and see themselves as shapers of their own destinies. She left the classroom to work in teacher professional development, coaching and leadership in organizations such as the Unidos US and the Center for Applied Linguistics. Subsequently, she served as an instructional coach at Oyster Adams Bilingual School for eight years where she successfully led teams of teachers to develop a culturally responsive curriculum and improved bilingual teaching and learning across content areas. More recently, she directed the language department at DC International School, a racially and socio-economically diverse 6-12 grade charter school, where she focused on improving classroom culture and language production in four languages (Chinese, French, Spanish and English). Ms. Gutiérrez holds a BA in Latin American Studies from Wesleyan University and a MA in ESL from George Washington University, and is currently pursuing a PhD with a focus on dual language education and teacher preparation at the University of Maryland. Outside of work, she enjoys doing yoga, reading, traveling, and spending time with her husband and two children.