Long before she led districts and advised on federal court cases, Dr. Barbara Marler played the oboe — the instrument tradition entrusts with sounding the note the entire orchestra tunes to. It's a fitting beginning, because that has become her role in multilingual education for over 40 years: bringing people, practices, and systems into alignment around a clear, well-calibrated standard.

Dr. Marler has served as a national-level consultant in ESL/Bilingual/Dual Language/World Language education, a cabinet-level administrator, and a K-8 teacher in ESL, bilingual, and general education classrooms. She holds a doctorate in educational change leadership, licenses spanning the classroom to the superintendency, and spent seven years as an EL expert for the U.S. Department of Justice — including the landmark case United States v. Board of Education of the City of Chicago. She is also co-author of Special Education Considerations for English Learners: Delivering a Continuum of Services, now in its 3rd edition.

Since retiring from district administration in June 2023, Dr. Marler consults with and advises districts and organizations nationwide, and mentors TBE/TPI program directors in their first three years of service for the state of Illinois.

Read full bio / Curriculum Vitae at these links.

Strategic Advisory Districts seeking expert guidance, leadership support, and/or responsive problem-solving. Monthly retainer includes scheduled virtual meetings and ongoing access.

Project-Based Consulting Districts needing clearly defined deliverables and comprehensive or targeted systems improvement. Periodic in-person and/or virtual engagement across the duration of the project.

Implementation Intensives — Onsite or Virtual Focused leadership or committee work, planning sessions, or systems alignment efforts. Scheduled as full-day (4–6 hrs.) or half-day (up to 3 hrs.) sessions.

Targeted Consultation / Micro-Engagement Immediate needs, quick problem-solving, or entry into a larger partnership. Scheduled 60–90 min. virtual consultation, office hours for district teams, or coaching sessions for newly hired administrators.

Multi-District / Consortium Support Regional collaboration or districts seeking cost-sharing models. Shared advisory or intensive sessions, cross-district problem-solving, or resolution of a common challenge.

Additional Services As Needed Data analysis and interpretation, development of tools, templates, or frameworks, written reports, executive summaries, etc.

...streamlined, flexible, and focused on measurable progress...