Cal Jordan Powers
WEAVER • WONDERER • WORDSMITH
Educator • Researcher • Leader • Advocate • Organizer
Leadership & Teacher Education Portfolio
Cal has worked in leadership for two decades, having gained valuable experience in teacher leadership, professional development, and social benefit efforts. Cal has published research in teacher leadership in journals, textbooks, conference presentations, webinars and workshops, and bulletins and newsletters. In leadership roles, Cal has produced several teacher education textbooks, organized a series of alumni advice panels, and chaired a virtual professional development conference on Critical Pedagogy WLE. Cal has worked to advance professional development into the next era in numerous ways, such as founding Professionall and hosting a podcast about careers in education.
Cal’s Leadership Work
Through Professionall
Founder of
Professionall, Public Benefit Corporation
2020–Present • Remote
As a public benefit corporation, the specific purpose of Professionall is to advocate for the wellbeing of all educators in the world, to reduce teacher burnout and attrition, and to inspire and nourish the future generations of educational leaders. Through this work, Cal publishes research in teacher professional development, teacher burnout, and the education profession.
Social Professional Learning
The ultimate goal for Professionall is to build a social learning management platform for professional development. While the platform is being developed, Cal is publishing research on the education profession, teacher professional development, and teacher wellbeing.
Professional Development Advising
Professionall takes a different approach to professional development, offering one-on-one advising for educators seeking to make the next step in their careers as well as offering PD planning and faculty advising for schools and departments, leading action research, or compiling case studies.
Entertainingly Educational Content
To make professional development entertaining and accessible in diverse formats, Professionall shares educational content on social media, on our blog, through videos, and with comics. Segments from the Pathways Podcast and other current events are shared on themed days to create bite-size learning opportunities for educators.
Cal hosts the Pathways Podcast, an interview podcast that explores fascinating career paths from all sectors of the education profession to better understand what makes a quality educator. We navigate each stage of our guest’s career to explore their motivations, experiences, and beliefs throughout their professional pathways to encourage and prepare other educators.
Exploring the Profession Through Podcasts
2021–Present • Remote
Alongside Dr. Kathleen Bailey, Cal has been working on an independent mixed-methods research project designed to fill a research gap on leadership in world language education. The project surveyed over 300 educators across the U.S. using an online questionnaire and follow-up interviews with 60 of the respondents. As Research Manager, Cal strategized the survey tools and methods, organized and coded data using complex statistical analysis, developed bespoke analytical tools, designed graphic models to visualize data, and led intercoder agreement and peer review processes. As Lead Author, Cal is continuing to spearhead the preparation of proposals and manuscripts, overseeing copy editing processes to meet detailed guidelines, and corresponding with authors and editors to meet deadlines and achieve successful dissemination of papers and presentations from the LWLE data.
Lead Author & Research Manager
The Leadership in World Language Education (LWLE) Project
LWLE Project Publications
“Ouroboros of Professional Challenges in WLE”
2025 • SLTE
Published in a special edition of the Second Language Teacher Education Journal, this report explores the professional challenges experienced by 60 teacher leaders in world language education. The interviewees provided rich accounts of these challenges, detailing how they were interlinked, complex, related, cumulative, and ouroboric in nature.
Within a textbook on language teacher leadership, this chapter defines a framework through which we can analyze the careers of leaders working in World Language Education (WLE), analyzing their experiences and beliefs throughout their careers. The framework introduced in this chapter presents a career as a pathway with six characteristics.
Presented at the University of New Mexico’s Mentoring Institute Conference, this report synthesizes our respondents’ remarks on mentorship, identifying seven shared sentiments on mentorship. The findings showed that almost 40% of our leaders reported a scarcity of and an urgent need for leadership mentoring opportunities.
“Leaders’ Unsolicited Sentiments on Mentorship”
2024 • Mentoring Institute
“Diverse Pathways into Leadership in WLE”
2023 • Springer International
Cal’s Leadership Work
Before Professionall
at Immerse, Virtual Reality Language Learning
Virtual Reality Teacher of
English as a Second Language
2023–2025 • Remote
Advocating for Teacher Wellbeing
Creating Administrative Innovations
While teaching at Immerse, Cal supported the launch of the program by developing program management systems and innovations such as building a scheduling tool, a bug reporting system, and creating quick-access dashboards to organize company resources, all which advocate for reduced workloads.
Cal advocated for teachers at Immerse by creating supplemental resources to improve curricula and student engagement as well as organizing lunch chats for teachers to decompress, encouraging social interaction in a virtual workplace, then relayed teacher concerns.
Cal advised international high school students located around the globe to develop leadership skills by developing strategic and scalable research projects to address novel problems as a strategy for getting accepted to the Top 20 universities in the United States. Cal collaborated with a global team of advising professionals and experts assigned to each student’s case to strategize the development of each student’s leadership skills and project planning.
at Crimson Education
Leadership Advisor to
Youth Community Benefit Projects
2022–2023 • Remote
Development of Leadership Skills
Research Project Management
Cal served as project management advisor to support the refinement process and help each student identify project goals, track milestones, and solve problems, reporting successes and areas of concern to parents and case managers. Cal supported young leaders in the ideation and design of their research projects, aiding in identifying a unique need in their communities, choosing methods, and strategizing on maximizing the impact of the project.
at Teacher’s Discovery
Curriculum Manager & Creative Director
2021–2022 • Remote
As Curriculum Developer, Cal produced two online Spanish textbooks of comprehensible-input stories to foster communicative proficiency for K-5th grade novice learners. Outside the responsibilities of this role, Cal made further efforts to innovate within the company such as developing several new program management protocols, designing project tracker templates, expanding program marketing with new strategies and resources, leading several PD workshops, and architecting a DEI audit of the company’s catalogue of textbooks.
Curricular & Management Innovations
Cal created innovations in the company’s curricular content, contributing elements such as story videos, native-speaker interview series, pre-launch product commercials, and materials tailored to each sub-market. Cal developed innovations in the company’s content management processes, such as building project and update trackers, training other managers on Cal’s new project management processes, and supporting supervisors in task delegation. Cal supplied innovations in the company’s program management, aligning messaging with email templates, expanding sales leads with new marketing funnels, and building scaffolding to support the company’s rapid growth.
Global Team & Global Perspectives
Cal built a diverse and international team to compile the necessary elements of the textbooks, recruiting, training, and supervising freelance voice-over artists, educators, and native Spanish speakers, providing feedback and motivating the team to reach the company’s goals and tight deadlines. Cal pioneered innovation in the company’s DEI efforts, architecting a DEI Audit of the company’s catalogue of content to identify and replace problematic stereotypes with authentic diversity, integrated DEI and social emotional learning into the curricula, and trained other curriculum managers with custom resources to audit each language program’s textbooks.
Researcher & Presenter
“Understanding Teacher Burnout During a Global Pandemic”
2022 • IGI Global
This presentation shows teachers how to create a geolocated game like a mobile phone scavenger hunt for French learners. This presentation began as a class project for Cal’s graduate course in mobile-assisted language learning which Cal then adapted into a presentation for a WLE teacher education conference. It offers a platform for educators to generate creative and customizable geolocated activities that are personalized to students’ levels while exposing students to authentic materials.
Researcher & Author
This study analyzed the coping strategies of 165 WLE educators to reduce the symptoms of teacher burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic. This chapter began as several graduate course projects that Cal adapted into a chapter that was published within a teacher education textbook focusing on adapting to online teaching contexts. These data indicate that burnout should be a priority concern for both teachers and leaders alike to prevent any further damage to our education systems.
“Midnight in Monterey: A Geolocated Game For Adventurous French Learners”
2020 • ACTFL
Graduate School Work
Graduate Research Assistant
to the TFL/TESOL Department Chair
2019–2021 • MIIS, Remote
Teacher Education Management
Cal worked under Dr. Kathi Bailey, the Department Chair & Academic and Career Advisor for the WLE Programs, assisting with tasks related to departmental functions, faculty management, students interactions, and research responsibilities. In this role, Cal organized a series of Alumni Advice Panels, wrote and broadcast weekly bulletins of current events, and published the department’s annual report on recent news related to students, alumni, and faculty.
Program Management Assistance
Cal aided in organizing class scheduling; authoring weekly news bulletins; planning alumni advice panels; preparing course materials on Professional Presentations and the Teaching of Speaking & Listening; up-keeping departmental faculty supervision records and activity reports, penning meeting agendas, and contract renewals; processing graduate recommendation letters, and scheduled advising meetings for current students.
Alumni Advice Panels
2019-2021 • MIIS
While working as the Graduate Research Assistant to the Department Chair at MIIS, Cal organized a series of Alumni Advice Panels to connect students with professionals who want to share their expertise. Panel topics included job search and interview advice and lesser known pathways after graduation.
WLE Program Weekly Bulletin
2019-2021 • MIIS
While working as the Graduate Research Assistant to the Department Chair at MIIS, Cal organized and edited a weekly bulletin for the WLE Program at MIIS, sharing information on upcoming events and opportunities at the Institute and linking relevant events or resources from outside the program.
Editorial Assistant
& Project Manager
2020–2021 • MIIS, TIRF, Routledge, Bloomsbury
While working as Graduate Research Assistant at MIIS, Cal served as Editorial Assistant on two research volumes published with TIRF and Routledge explored critical and emerging research topics in WLE such as teaching in under-resourced contexts and working with internationally diverse students. Cal also worked on a teacher education textbook published with Bloomsbury that prepares educators for the planning and teaching of activities that promote the development of speaking and listening skills at all levels of target language proficiency, for teachers of any modern language. As Editorial Assistant, Cal performed tasks such as proofreading, indexing, key word compilation, fact-checking, and providing feedback throughout the publishing process to ensure that formatting met standards and content was understandable.
New Student Cohort Coordinator
2020-2021 • MIIS Student Services
Cal served as a student liaison to a cohort of 18 incoming graduate students to facilitate their entry into the MIIS community and to network with other students. Cal organized weekly social events, engaging a variety of virtual tools and spaces, and managed online communication via social media channels and WhatsApp chats to encourage engagement and to answer questions related to student life on campus.
WLE Program Ambassador
2020-2021 • MIIS Admissions
Cal campaigned for prospective and newly admitted graduate students of the WLE programs at Preview Day presentations and via email and phone to provide clarification to questions about the programs, sharing the student perspective at MIIS, life in Monterey, and discussing professional growth opportunities, organizing virtual social events to foster community building between returning and incoming students.
Cal’s Responsibilities as Chair
As Co-Chair, Cal had the responsibilities of building the organizing team, writing and disseminated the Call for Proposals, spearheading the proposal rating and inter-rater agreement processes, finding and negotiating contracts with keynote speakers, meeting with the Faculty Advisor and seeking feedback from program faculty, drafting team meeting agendas, setting up the registration processes and pricing, planning and leading the technical dress rehearsal, and building the website.
While studying at MIIS, Cal volunteered as Co-Chair for SOWLE 2020, the Symposium on World Language Education, a virtual student-led professional development conference for educators working in WLE.
Co-Chair of the Virtual Conference
2020 Symposium on World Language Education
2020 • Remote
From FLEDS to SOWLE, Looking Forward
Prior to 2020, the in-person conference was called the Foreign Language Education Symposium, or FLEDS and did not have an official or unique logo. While respecting tradition, Cal and Grace saw the need to look forward, and with the blessing of faculty, they changed the outdated term ‘foreign language,’ updated the logo, and organized the first virtual conference at MIIS. After, Cal organized the transfer of resources to the next generation of co-chairs by starting a Transfer of Power Doc.
Cal specialized in Language Program Administration, which offered hands-on experience and courses in Teacher Supervision, Teacher Education, Leadership in Language Education, Program Administration, Managing People and Resources in Cross-Cultural Contexts, International Marketing and Recruiting, and Working with Self & Others.
Graduate School Coursework
Studying the Profession
Studying Teacher Supervision
Studying Teacher Burnout
Learning from Experts
Experience Teaching Abroad
Through the Teaching Assistant Program in France (TAPIF), Cal worked in Laon, France, a historic site, teaching at both a high school (Lycée Pierre Méchain) and a middle school (Collège Charlemagne), coaching groups of novice learners of English ages 10-18 with technology-enhanced activities to improve language production, speaking skills, and cultural awareness. Cal developed and administered technology-enhanced activities and games to improve language production, speaking skills, and cultural awareness, advising teachers in creating similar innovations. Cal initiated the Assistant Transition Handbook to facilitate onboarding for successors.
English Language Teaching Assistant
2018–2019 • Laon, France
Undergraduate Experience
Researcher & Author
“Mobile Apps in Language Education”
2017-2018 • UNT
President, VP, & Liaison
GLAD: UNT’s Queer Alliance
2015-2018 • UNT
Cal put passion for social justice into practice as an officer in GLAD: UNT’s Queer Alliance, serving as President, Vice President, & Media Liaison to organize community events, lead educational trainings on Queer life, culture, and history, and to advocate for the LGBTQ2S+ students at UNT. As an officer, Cal organized events like the Queer Family Panel Series and free HIV/STI testing, presented educational sessions on topics such as Gender & Sexuality and Activism, and registered hundreds of students to vote.
As a member of the Honors College at UNT and seeking to make the most of faculty expertise to prepare for graduate school, Cal volunteered to complete an honors thesis. While mentoring with Dr. Lawrence Williams, Cal researched the beliefs and attitudes of university students toward the value of using language learning apps like Duolingo or Rosetta Stone as support to their in-class learning. This thesis project began Cal’s love for survey-driven research to voice the opinions of a community for their own benefit.
Youth Experience
Editor & Author
Journalism, Newspaper, & Yearbook
2009-2012 • BHHS
As electives from middle school through high school, Cal enrolled in classes on journalism, newspaper, and yearbook, gaining experience in journalism, editing, interviewing people, working as a photographer at community events, and developing skills in Photoshop and other media editing processes.
PALs: Peers Assistance & Leadership Program
2014–2015 • BHHS
An award-winning, nationally recognized evidence-based prevention program, Cal was a PAL, nurturing and supporting youth, increasing resiliency, and building protective factors to help them achieve academic and social successes which lead to making a difference in their lives, schools, and communities.
Mentor & Tutor
Officer & Volunteer
NHS, Band, Theatre, French Club, UIL, & Key Club
2009–2015 • BHHS
In grade school, Cal was a leader in many clubs including the Secretary of National Honor Society Secretary and its Junior counterpart, as well as serving as a Key Club volunteer. Through this work, Cal led many volunteer events with organizations like the Houston Food Bank and Habitat for Humanity. Cal was also Band Section Leader and Music Librarian, Theater Stage Manager, French Club Secretary, and Academic UIL champion.
Maintenance Team Leader
2014 • BHISD
Cal led the transfer of classroom furniture and teacher belongings cross-district to new campuses under tight deadlines, resolving issues by directing the flow of cargo, organizing the contents of the moving truck, and reporting to supervisors.
Founder, Teacher’s Kid Babysitting Club
2009-2015 • BHISD
To support teachers like Cal’s mother, Cal founded a babysitting club for teacher’s kids to be supervised on half-days to allow parents to focus on professional development. Cal later collaborated with PALS to turn this into a volunteer program.
Cal’s Portfolios
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