In Memoriam: Dr. Ivannia Soto-Hinman

We, at Corwin, mourn the loss of our dear author and friend, Ivannia Soto-Hinman, after her brave, 8-year journey with cancer.

Ivannia was an exemplary scholar-practitioner. Her scholarly contributions are impressive and include 12 books published with Corwin. But, perhaps even more impressive, was her dedication to K-12 practitioners and the children they serve. From her early professional experiences as a classroom teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District to her more recent work as a professional developer, teacher educator at Whittier College, and Director of the Bilingual Educator Strategic training project for the California Association for Bilingual Education, Ivannia worked to advance opportunities and justice for millions of English learners in our nation’s schools.

Of her Corwin books, Ivannia is perhaps best known for the best-selling Shadowing Multilingual Learners, now in its second edition. Ivannia conducted numerous shadowing trainings in conjunction with county offices throughout California and in other states. By observing a multilingual learner over several hours in a typical school day and monitoring the student’s opportunities for oral language production, participants gain unique insights into how these students experience school. Educators who have participated in this powerful experience call it nothing short of transformative. Ivannia also championed dual language instruction throughout her career. One of her most ambitious projects for Corwin is a recently-published, cutting-edge book called Breaking Down the Monolingual Wall, which captures best practices for dual language programs and classrooms at all levels of the education system. In this book, and throughout her career,  Ivannia helped us envision a world in which multilingualism was not only valued as an asset, but in which is the norm for all children and adults.

While we are deeply saddened by the loss of our valued colleague, we are grateful to have had the opportunity to learn from her and to have supported her important work.

In lieu of flowers or other gifts, the family asks you to donate to the Institute for Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Teaching (ICLRT) or the Bilingual Authorization Program (BILA) scholarship in honor of Ivannia’s life and passion. https://whittier.advancementform.com/campaign/ivanniasoto-hinman