Jo Gusman

Jo Gusman is an outstanding motivational speaker, author, professional development provider, and teacher of ELL/bilingual students. She began her teaching career in 1974 as a bilingual education instructional assistant, and later became a Bilingual Education teacher. In 1981, her career led her to the nationally known Newcomer School, where Jo worked in a multilingual setting with refugee and immigrant non-English speaking children. It is there where she developed her many Brain-Based ESL Strategies™. Because of her extensive experience and exceptional work with English Language Learners, she has received numerous awards from organizations such as the National Hispanic School Board Association, California Reading Association, and the California Association for Bilingual Education. She has been featured on national television (NBC) in a five day series titled, “The New Kids in Town.” In addition, Jo received recognition for her teaching excellence from President Ronald Reagan and the U.S. Department of Education

Jo is the creator of the Foundation-Frameworks-Tools Model© and author of Practical Strategies for Accelerating the Literacy Skills and Content Learning of Your ELLs, and Accelerating Your ELLs Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary Development, and Reading Fluency. She is a co-author of ACCESS: Building Literacy Through Learning, a content-area program specifically designed for English Language Learners, published by Great Source. Jo is featured in several professional development videos and DVDs such as, "Multiple Intelligences and the Second Language Learner," “Optimizing Intelligences: Thinking, Emotion and Creativity” and most recently, “Every Teacher – A Teacher of English Language Learners,” which features her Foundations-Frameworks-Tools™ ELL Program Model.

Jo taught Bilingual Education, Foundations of Curriculum, and Language and Literacy courses at California State University, Sacramento from 1988-2005. She was also an instructor at the Multiple Intelligences Institute at the University of California, Riverside.

Jo is the founder of New Horizons In Education, Inc., an education consulting firm which is dedicated to assisting corporations and education agencies as they create highly effective programs for their bilingual-biliterate students and their families. Presently, Jo conducts ELL Program Quality Reviews, biliteracy, language acquisition, and brain-based education seminars and motivational speeches. Jo shares her many ideas with policy makers, administrators, teachers, students, and parents throughout the world. Her seminars are fast-moving, energetic, and focus on scores of research-based practical ideas and materials participants can use immediately.

Jo grew up in a family who experienced the challenges that farm working, non-English speaking families face. She truly understands the complexities and multiple variables that surround English Language Learners. Therefore, it is always her intention to provide seminar participants with practical ideas, inspiration, and a vision that all students are highly intelligent and can be successful in all aspects of their lives, regardless of race, gender, or socio-economic level.