Ezra Howard is an EDiTE researcher at the Masaryk University. For most of his career he has worked with language learners, first as an after-school program coordinator catering to recent immigrants and then as English as a Second Language teacher with Shelby County Schools. After eight years directly serving students and families, Ezra left the classroom to pursue his PhD. His research focuses primarily on the theory, practice, and policy related to the education of language learners with limited or formal education. Additionally, as a former teacher in SCS’s acclaimed turnaround effort, the Innovation Zone, his academic interests also include turnaround models, state-run school districts, charter conversions, and innovative practices.