Jennifer Franz

Affiliation

Allegheny College

Biography

I am an Assistant Professor and Coordinator of Education Studies at Allegheny College, where I teach courses including Introduction to Education Studies, Foundations of Special Education, Teaching English Language Learners, and the Internship Seminar. A central part of my role is placing Education Studies students in a year-long internship at a local school, where they gain hands-on experience working under the guidance of experienced mentor teachers. My journey in education began at International House in Lisbon, Portugal, where I taught English to adult and young learners. I then spent seven years teaching multilingual students in a public school in Queens, NY - an experience that deeply shaped my commitment to equitable education. After that, I worked at a private language school in Pittsburgh, preparing international high school graduates, primarily from Saudi Arabia, for academic life at U.S. colleges. This work further deepened my understanding of the challenges and strengths multilingual learners bring to educational spaces. In my current role, I strive to weave a social justice lens into all of my teaching, especially in courses focused on language learning and inclusion. I draw inspiration from the work of Jim Cummins and Ofelia García, whose research continues to shape my approach to supporting multilingual students and advocating for linguistically responsive teaching practices. I am excited to be part of NABE and to connect with others who are passionate about bilingual education and equity in schools.