Overview
Yessy Medina (she/her) is a bilingual education advocate and researcher with more than a decade of experience supporting Multilingual Learners with disabilities. As a Program Assistant on the Special Education Policy and Practice team, Medina brings deep expertise from preK–8 bilingual and inclusive education settings to her work with education agencies. She collaborates with partners to develop practical tools, resources, and professional learning experiences that strengthen instruction and systems implementation for multilingual students with disabilities.
At WestEd, Medina provides technical assistance, like instructional coaching and professional learning, to state and district teams. She collaborates with education agencies to develop contextually relevant implementation plans and supports. In addition, Medina supports the National Center for Systemic Improvement by building capacity for state education leaders in special education. Medina’s work emphasizes evidence-based strategies and collaborative problem-solving to improve student experiences and outcomes.
Before joining WestEd, Medina gained invaluable experience as a literacy coach, dual language immersion teacher, adjunct professor, and research assistant. She has supported bilingual program development, led school-based instructional teams, and contributed to federally funded research projects focused on culturally and linguistically aligned early literacy assessments. Medina is currently completing her PhD in special education at the University of Oregon, where her research examines systems-level policies and implementation of effective instructional practices for Multilingual Learners with disabilities. Her professional experiences continue to inform her belief that strong collaboration, intentional design, and ongoing evaluation are essential for building learning environments where all students can thrive.
Education
- PhD (candidate) in special education, University of Oregon
- MA in bilingual/ESL curriculum and instruction, Concordia University
- BA in elementary education, Roosevelt University
Select Publications
Zyskind, K., Dorman, M., Medina, Y., & Pérez Báez, G. (2024). Visibility for Indigenous students and their languages: Analysis of home language data in federal reports across seven U.S. states. Social Sciences, 13(8), 427.