English Learners Coach Brings Own Experiences to Her Work with Students, Families, and Teachers

Melanie Tercilla-Allen sometimes sees her own parents in the parents of the students she works with as an English Learners coach.  

“My parents really didn’t know too much about the American education system when I was in school, but they really made the effort to go into the schools I was in and ask, ‘What do we need to know?’ And together as a family and through our partnership with the schools, I was able to become a successful college graduate.” 

Tercilla-Allen is one of the 16 MNPS English Learners coaches who help students and families from more than 100 nationalities navigate their newness to the English language and American schooling. She knows that particular blend of excitement and uncertainty first-hand from her own childhood.  

Growing up in Miami in the 1990s and 2000s as the child of two Spanish-speaking Cuban immigrants, Tercilla-Allen was an English Learner herself. And it wasn’t always easy. She attended public schools as well as Catholic private schools, and none of them had the resources or the inclusive approach she and her MNPS colleagues are proud to have as their foundation in 2026.  

“I would have never thought 20 years ago or more that I’d be in this position or even talking about this,” she said. “I believed no one really cared. I always believed English Learners were not seen as important.  

“So it’s a beautiful shift that I’m seeing, and I’m happy to be a part of it.”  

Helping Students Feel Seen 

Tercilla-Allen, who is in her second year with MNPS, believes deeply in the power and the benefits of bilingualism.  

“When students learn a different language, not only does the mother tongue help them learn, but on top of that, learning English opens up a world of opportunity. Being bilingual is a strength when it comes to applying for jobs, of course, but also in a lot of other avenues of our lives.” 

She said she and the other EL coaches throughout the district work hard to make sure students “feel like they are seen as who they are, which is a complex person who has this native tongue and culture that can be beautifully connected to or blended with the American education they can pick up in school.”  

Tercilla-Allen is working closely this year with students, parents, EL teachers, and administrators at Thurgood Marshall Middle School, Antioch Middle School, and Cane Ridge High School.  

Sometimes her focus is on working directly with students by modeling or co-teaching a lesson with an EL teacher. Then there are times when she concentrates more on coaching teachers through lesson planning, reviewing data, and professional development.   

Her coaching is highly collaborative and tailored to each teacher’s needs. She may model or co-teach a lesson to demonstrate effective strategies for English Learners, observe or record classroom instruction and review the footage with the teacher to reflect on student engagement and language development, or analyze student work and data together to determine next instructional steps. She may even bring students together for a focus group to hear directly from them about their learning experience.  

Through this process, she helps teachers strengthen their practice and make intentional instructional decisions that improve students’ access to grade-level content and their academic language development. 

Tercilla-Allen also speaks to students one on one, making sure they’re comfortable with her presence in the classroom and don’t see her as a stranger. 

In every interaction, “the goal is always to better student outcomes,” she said.  

A New Mindset 

When families enroll their children in MNPS, they complete a Home Language Survey that asks about the languages the student speaks and uses at home. Based on those responses, a student may be given an English language proficiency screener to determine whether they qualify for English Learner services and what level of language support they may need. 

A student who has just begun learning English might start in a class with other students at a similar level of English proficiency. They receive significant support in learning English through foundational language building, including vocabulary, speaking, reading, and writing, and are given additional support and time to process language across all content areas. 

Meanwhile, a student who already knows some English but isn’t completely proficient will likely be placed in a classroom co-taught by a general education (English Language Arts, math, science, or social studies) teacher and an EL teacher. Together, the teachers provide targeted language support, including small-group instruction and educational “scaffolds” such as sentence frames, vocabulary supports, graphic organizers, and structured opportunities for speaking and writing, to help students develop their English while learning grade-level content. 

It’s a long way from what Tercilla-Allen experienced as a student.  

“English Learners were very much a separate entity,” she said. “I remember being given a workbook that had some sort of foundational learning. I was practicing the alphabet and short words. But when I would fill that out, I was essentially relegated to a part of the classroom with a few other students like me. The rest of the class was operating in a different sphere. They were covering different curriculum. I was working alone.  

“That was popular at that time. Now, with our emphasis on co-teaching, that mindset has completely shifted. We do believe our English Learner students can access the content; we just have to scaffold it for them. But they should have the opportunity to access these materials, and oftentimes they do so very well.” 

Tercilla-Allen completed her own education at the University of Florida, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in English and Education and a master’s in secondary English education with an ESL (English as a Second Language) endorsement. She worked at a research school in Gainesville, Fla., and then taught literature and language classes at high schools in Fort Lauderdale and Miami before she and her husband moved to Nashville in 2025.   

“MNPS is incredibly fortunate to have Melanie on our EL team,” said Molly Hegwood, executive director of the district’s Office of English Learners. “She brings deep expertise in language development, high school English, and expanding English Learners’ access to advanced academics.  

“Melanie is a skilled coach and problem-solver who builds strong relationships and meets every challenge with positive and thoughtful solutions. Schools consistently express gratitude for her expertise and support.” 

 

English Learners Department