Northside Independent School District, Bilingual Program Manager & ELL Specialist

A trusted voice in bilingual education.
Marci Barrientos has dedicated her career to empowering English learners and supporting educators in creating meaningful bilingual learning experiences. During her years at Northside Independent School District in San Antonio, she served as a bilingual program manager and ELL specialist, overseeing the district’s LPAC procedures, ELL compliance, and language-placement strategies.

Her work extended beyond administration — she collaborated directly with teachers, instructional leaders, and families to implement bilingual programs that were rigorous, culturally responsive, and student-centered. Marci became known for translating policy into practical classroom guidance, ensuring every bilingual learner had access to high-quality instruction that respected their language, culture, and identity.

Beyond Northside ISD, Marci contributed to regional bilingual initiatives and professional development programs. She trained educators on effective language acquisition strategies, advised campuses on curriculum adaptation, and supported families in understanding and engaging with bilingual programs. Her decades of experience reflect a deep commitment to both academic excellence and the social-emotional development of multilingual students.

Now retired, Marci continues to share her wealth of knowledge as an advisor to Ahvian The Creative™, helping shape the series with her hands-on understanding of bilingual classrooms, curriculum design, and effective teaching strategies.

How Marci Helped Shape our Bilingual Learning Series?

Marci’s guidance has been integral in designing materials that are both fun and pedagogically sound. With her insight, we focused on:

• Cognates and language transfer – Building explicit connections between English and Spanish to accelerate vocabulary acquisition.
• Cultural and linguistic authenticity – Ensuring that examples, phrasing, and family outreach reflect the lived experiences of bilingual communities, including Mexican Spanish.

Thanks to Marci’s mentorship, our series is not only engaging and creative but highly effective for bilingual learners, helping children transfer knowledge, grow vocabulary, and develop confidence in two languages.

A Note of Gratitude

Marci, your mentorship transformed our work. Your decades of experience, thoughtful guidance, and deep passion for bilingual education have left an indelible mark on Ahvian The Creative™.

Your legacy will live on in every page, activity, and child we reach. Thank you for your support and expertise.