With students' entire K–12 journey in mind, AJ Crook shares how DeKalb School District is building and expanding bilingual and dual language programs. She discusses creative solutions for growing these programs, including approaches to bilingual teacher recruitment and ongoing educator support. AJ also explains how decisions made today can have ripple effects that shape opportunities for multilingual learners and their families for years to come.

Drawing on decades of experience from the classroom to research and state-level policy, Dr. Megan Alubicki-Flick shares what it takes to turn policy into action that supports multilingual learners. She explains why shared responsibility across systems, leaders, and educators is essential to advancing common goals. She also emphasizes recognizing your sphere of influence and why moving work forward sometimes means choosing progress over perfection.

Dr. Doris Chavez-Linville challenges educators and leaders to question the framework they use to interpret data. Drawing on more than 25 years in EdTech and research on multilingual learner assessment, she explains why data should inform decisions, not make them. She encourages educators to consider what students know across their languages and experiences, drawing on their full linguistic repertoires to support learning.