Learn more about Dr. Margo Gottlieb, Inaugural inductee into the Multilingual Education Hall of Fame, from the Chicago Classrooms to a career in advocacy for Multilingual Learners
When a teacher’s impact echoes across continents, shaping not just classrooms but mindsets, you know their work is truly transformative. Dr. Margo Gottlieb is one such educator—now celebrated as an inaugural inductee into the Multilingual Education Hall of Fame at NABE’s 2025 conference. This honor reflects a career rooted in empathy, scholarship, and unwavering advocacy for multilingual learners.
Dr. Gottlieb first found her calling in the bilingual and ESL classrooms of Chicago, where she quickly recognized the potential of multilingual learners—not deficits, but assets waiting to be treasured. She carried that insight into every endeavor: designing frameworks, writing books, and shaping policy, always grounded in the belief that learners flourish when seen in full linguistic and cultural complexity.
As co-founder and lead developer of the WIDA Consortium, Dr. Gottlieb has helped create influential tools like the Can Do Descriptors and Principles of Language Development. These tools have become the backbone for educators assessing language development with dignity and equity.
At the heart of Dr. Gottlieb’s work is a bold invitation: make assessment not a judgment, but a collaborative, empowering practice.
In her article “Let’s Collaborate in Assessing Multilingual Learners!” (October 17, 2024), she and Andrea Honigsfeld invite educators to shift toward assessment AS, FOR, and OF learning, where students and teachers co-design, co-plan, and co-reflect.
In the Corwin podcast episode “Meaningful Multilingual Assessment” (April 22, 2024), Dr. Gottlieb emphasizes assessment as a chance to reflect on teaching, foster student agency, and view multilingualism as a strength—not a barrier.
A companion YouTube clip captures that sentiment in her own words:
“Assessment... is not just about the students—it’s about what we’re learning... the growth that we are all making as educators and as students.”
.png)
Dr. Gottlieb has authored numerous influential works that continue to support educators worldwide:
Assessing Multilingual Learners: Bridges to Empowerment (3rd ed., 2023): A powerful guide linking equity and authentic assessment grounded in students’ multilingual identities.
Collaborative Assessment for Multilingual Learners and Teachers: Pathways to Partnerships (2025, with Andrea Honigsfeld): Her most recent contribution, extending collaborative assessment into new pedagogical terrain.
Articles such as “Breaking Down the Monolingual Wall VIII: Our students are multilingual—shouldn’t assessment be?” (September 17, 2024) and Let’s Collaborate in Assessing Multilingual Learners! (October, 2024) push educators to integrate multilingual perspectives into assessment at every level.
Her foundational policy piece “How Can Multilingual Learners and Their Teachers Make a Difference in Classroom Assessment?” (Center for Applied Linguistics, 2022) lays out visionary strategies for linguistically and culturally sustaining assessment\
For over four decades, Dr. Margo Gottlieb has redefined how we assess, honor, and nurture multilingual learners. Her induction into the Multilingual Education Hall of Fame is not just a moment of recognition—it’s a signal of lasting impact.
In her own storytelling and scholarship, she reminds us: when we uplift multilingual voices, we do more than teach—we create communities grounded in dignity, equity, and brilliance.
Here’s to the building of bridges—and to Dr. Gottlieb’s continued legacy of inspiration.
For more on the Multilingual Education Hall of Fame, check out Honoring a Visionary: Kathy Escamilla's Path to the Multilingual Education Hall of Fame