Robert Pena Diaz

Affiliation

NYC Public Schools

Biography

Robert Peña Díaz, Principal, NYC Public Schools – District 30 Formerly as a district ML/ELL Services Administrator (M/ESA), Robert worked closely with central offices, the district team, school administrators, and pedagogues across languages and grades 3K-8th to create professional learning (PL) opportunities and resources to build awareness, capacity, and community. These PL sessions and resources guide educators to shift their classroom practice and curriculum to a more culturally responsive and proficiency-centered approach, embracing students’ home languages and make content accessible via language. His current pedagogical focus has been on making the Science of Reading adaptable for Multilingual Learners and creating a MTSS structure that supports biliteracy development. In school year 2023-2024, Robert secured a grant for that provides free access to assessment in the students’ home language for all schools in the district. Recently, Robert co-authored two citywide documents with NYC Public School’s Office of Multilingual Learners: 1) Comprehensive & Holistic Approach to Biliteracy Instruction and 2) Bilingual Program Descriptions, K-12. Robert is a member of NYSTESOL, NYSABE, NYSAFLT, NABE, FABE, ACTFL, PRTESOL, and DRTESOL. Previously, Robert taught ENL, bilingual special education, and Dual Language (Eng/Spa) for grades Headstart-5th Grade and Adults, as well as served as his former school’s ML/ELL Coordinator and as a member of the ML/ELL team of the Brooklyn North Borough Office supporting the districts of Brooklyn North as a ML/ELL Instructional Coach. Recently, he has assumed the role of principal at a Dual Language Early Childhood School.