Ivannia Soto

Ivannia Soto, PhD, was a professor of education and director of graduate programs at Whittier College, specializing in language acquisition, systemic reform for English language learners (ELLs), and urban education. A former English and English language development teacher, literacy coach, and district/county administrator in the Los Angeles Unified School District, she was widely recognized for her expertise in multilingual education and for her leadership as executive director of Whittier College’s Institute for Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Teaching (ICLRT).

A prolific author, Soto wrote and co‑wrote at least twelve books on educating multilingual and English learners, including ELL Shadowing as a Catalyst for Change, The Literacy Gaps: Bridge‑Building Strategies for English Language Learners and Standard English Learners, Moving From Spoken to Written Language With ELLs, and the Academic Language Mastery series (Conversational Discourse in Context, Grammar and Syntax in Context, Vocabulary in Context, and Culture in Context). She also contributed to Breaking Down the Monolingual Wall: Essential Shifts for Multilingual Learners’ Success, Breaking Down the Wall: Essential Shifts for English Learners’ Success, From Equity Insights to Action, Digital‑Age Teaching for English Learners, and several Common Core Companion volumes focused on English language development