Susan Moreno is an ESOL Curriculum and Instructional Specialist for Rogers Public Schools in Rogers, Arkansas, a districtwide role she began in fall 2023 after nearly a decade as a classroom ESOL teacher and dual language program teacher and leader. Her career has been defined by a commitment to equity, bilingualism, and ensuring multilingual students have access to rigorous, meaningful learning experiences.
From 2014 to 2021, Moreno taught in a dual language classroom at J.L. Long Middle School in Dallas, where her seventh- and eighth-grade students explored Hispanic cultures through music, poetry, cuisine, and project-based learning. Students were taught AP Spanish aligned lessons where they wrote original stories and skits, and produced videos that connected language learning to real-world issues, read about immigration from Central America—an experience deeply relevant to many of their own families. As the leader of Long’s secondary dual language program, Moreno and her Dual Language Team built a strong program pipeline, actively recruiting students from elementary schools and working closely with counselors and administrators to ensure equitable access to pre-AP dual language core classes and AP courses.
That classroom experience now informs Moreno’s districtwide leadership work. In her current role, she supports secondary ESOL and content teachers through in-class modeling, coaching, and collaborative planning to ensure English learners have access to grade-level content. She leads curriculum selection and implementation for English Language Development courses and supports sheltered instruction across disciplines, with a strong focus on high schools, middle schools, and newcomer students. Moreno works closely with sheltered ELA teachers to implement grade-level literacy instruction for newly arrived students, helping them develop English proficiency while also building background knowledge and academic confidence.
At the middle school level, Moreno leads curriculum development for the district’s newcomer program, designing acculturation units that help students understand what it means to be a student in the United States, in Arkansas, and in Rogers Public Schools. Through project-based learning, students research future careers, identify required skills and education, and connect those goals to high school course planning, culminating in presentations and essays written in English about their future pathways.
Moreno is also a leader beyond her district. In October 2025, she and her ESOL team presented at the ARKTESOL Conference in Little Rock, sharing the "I Need" Tool, a self-advocacy communication resource they developed to help newcomer students advocate for their needs from day one. The tool was recognized by a nationally known author in the field, Dr. Andrea Honigsfeld, who requested permission to include it in an upcoming publication. Moreno also leads the district’s World Language Curriculum Review, collaborating with Spanish and French teachers to select curriculum grounded in comprehensible input, speaking, and authentic language use—work that keeps her connected to her roots in second language acquisition and her long-term vision of expanding dual language programming in Rogers Public Schools.
Across every role, Moreno brings a “whatever it takes” mindset to her work. Whether building programs, supporting teachers, or mentoring students, she remains focused on creating systems where multilingual learners are valued, challenged, and prepared to thrive.
Moreno earned a bachelor’s degree in 2013 and a Master's in Arts and Education in 2014 from the University of Arkansas.
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2014 M.A., University of Arkansas- Fayetteville
2013 B.S., University of Arkansas- Fayetteville
