Shawn Slakk is the VP of Operations and a Senior Consultant with Margarita Calderón and Associates, where he and his colleagues work with general education teachers and administrators in how to consolidate language, literacy and content while learning English.  As a former Certified WIDA Trainer and, Shawn brings an understanding of WIDA and how it relates to ELs, language acquisition and lesson delivery. He is the former Rethinking Equity and Teaching for English Language Learners (RETELL) Coordinator for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.  The RETELL endorsement is now required in Massachusetts to obtain or retain an educator license.  Throughout his career, Shawn has taught ESL across all grade levels and curricula including community college and adult basic education, Spanish and Japanese plus served as an elementary and middle school administrator. Besides two bachelor’s degrees, English Education K-12 and Spanish Education K-12, a master’s degree in English: TESoL and a Master’s in School Administration; he is completing his dissertation in professional development from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.