PDE Welcomes Julia Hutton, English Learner/Bilingual Education Content Advisor

Julia Hutton comes to PDE with 17 years experience as both an administrator and teacher from the Hazleton Area School District, a large, urban district located in northeast PA. With Hazleton Area SD currently ranked as having the fourth largest English Learner (EL) population in the Commonwealth, Julia brings with her a wealth of knowledge and expertise working with ELs, specifically those who are transient, impoverished, and/or at-risk. 

Combining her love for language and her desire to help children, Julia studied both education and Spanish at Wilkes University. She began her teaching career in 2002 as one of only four English Language Development teachers in the Hazleton Area School District. During her 11-year tenure teaching English Language Development at Hazleton Area High School, Julia encountered a rapidly increasing enrollment of ELs in the district and was active in developing and implementing best practices for EL instruction and achievement. Some of these include developing and conducting trainings for teachers, writing curriculum, collaborating on district policies and procedures, increasing family and community engagement, and working with outside agencies on programs to assist ELs. During this time Julia also completed graduate studies in ESL from Misericordia University, a Master’s in Education from Wilkes University, and a Master’s in Educational Leadership from Alvernia University.

Julia culminated her public school experience as a K-12 assistant principal and supervisor of federal programs. Bringing her knowledge of ELs into the role of instructional leader, Julia was instrumental in the planning and implementation of district decisions regarding Title III funding and programming.

“I am honored and humbled to join the dynamic team at PDE. My goal has been and always will be to do what is best for students. I look forward to serving my profession and providing support and guidance to my fellow colleagues. Most importantly, I will continue to advocate for the success and growth of all English Learners, and I am grateful to be able to do that throughout the Commonwealth.” 

Julia welcomes the opportunity to work with schools to assist with EL programming.  Join her SAS PDE English Language Development Learning Community for news and updates.  Simply log on to SAS, select Communities under the My SAS Tools, and search for English Language Development.

 Contact Julia at 717.787.5482 or at juhutton@pa.gov.