Linda Riley

Expertise

Research Interests

• Building K–12 leadership capacity to effectively serve culturally and linguistically diverse student populations
• Designing and implementing inclusive educational practices that foster belonging for all learners
• Advancing cultural competence and equity-minded practices in postsecondary institutions

Education

Biosketch

For more than twenty years, my journey in education has unfolded. I began as a bilingual intake counselor at a Boston alternative high school. From there, over twelve years, I served as a dedicated Spanish teacher in middle and high school classrooms. Transitioning to elementary education, I embarked on a new path as an ESL instructor while also taking on the responsibility of district coordinator as our multilingual (ML) student population surged. For seven years, I embraced this role before stepping into the elementary school principal position in 2021.

Throughout my tenure as a principal, my leadership was primarily defined by a steadfast dedication to inclusive practices and ensuring that every student receives equitable opportunities. In 2019, I began working as an adjunct professor at UMass Lowell, and most recently, I've transitioned into a full-time professorship in the Leadership in Schooling Ed.D. program.

Selected Awards and Honors

Selected Presentations

• “When Bias Meets the Lesson Plan: How Implicit Attitudes Shape Explicit Teaching”, Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement Gender Seminar, February 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
• “Racial Identity and Multicultural Literature,” NAME Conference, November, 2019
• “Diversifying Curriculum”, Learn Together Conference, June, 2019
• “What Educators Need to Know About the LOOK Act: Language Equity in Action,” November, 2018

Research Currently in Progress