Upholding the Educational Civil Rights of Multilingual Learners and Families
2026-03-10 16:00 - 16:30 (America/New_York)
TITLE: Upholding the Educational Civil Rights of Multilingual Learners and Families
DATE: March 10, 2026
TIME: 4:00–4:30 p.m. EDT

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DETAILS:
States, districts, and schools have a legal and ethical obligation to ensure that all students, regardless of the language(s) they speak at home, have access to meaningful, equitable learning opportunities. Grounded in federal policy and civil rights law, these obligations extend to instructional access, language development supports, family engagement, and nondiscriminatory practices that enable multilingual learners to thrive academically and socially.
In this webinar, policy experts and practitioners will unpack the educational civil rights that protect multilingual learners and their families, clarifying what these rights mean in practice and how they are grounded in existing law and guidance. Participants will also hear directly from a state-level leader about how these civil rights frameworks are being implemented on the ground, highlighting policy levers, practical strategies, and lessons learned that can inform efforts in other contexts.
Join us to deepen your understanding of the civil rights of multilingual learners and the policies, practices, and partnerships essential to upholding them across educational systems.

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CAL Presentation: Making Literacy Instruction Meaningful for Multilingual Learners Through Interactive Activities
2026-03-26 14:30 (America/Denver)
Event: TESOL Convention 2026
Location: Ballroom F at the Salt Palace Convention Center
Date & Time: March 26, 2026 | 2:30 PM
Session Format: Presentation
Presenter(s):
Marybelle Marrero-Colón (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Kia Johnson (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Description:
This session explores how literacy instruction can be meaningful and fun through activities such as multilingual story boxes, multicultural literacy autobiographies, dice conversations, and writing from visuals. Participants engage in various activities and analyze how they can support foundational skill development, reading comprehension, and language acquisition.

CAL Presentation: MTSS and Multilingual Learners: Developing a Supportive Team Approach
2026-03-24 08:00 - 12:00 (America/Denver)
Event: TESOL Convention 2026
Date & Time: March 24, 2026 | 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Presenter(s):
Marybelle Marrero-Colón (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Description:
When linguistically diverse students struggle academically, schools’/districts’ are responsible for assessing whether the cause is language differences or disability. Successful development and implementation of a multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) team approach is key to ensuring that multilingual learners receive appropriate intervention to maximize their academic achievement and language acquisition.

CAL Presentation: Affecting Policy through Coalition: the National English Learner Roundtable
2026-03-25 12:00 - 13:15 (America/Denver)
Event: TESOL Conference 2026
Date & Time: March 25, 2026 | 12:00 PM – 1:15 PM
Session Format: Roundtable
Presenter(s):
Diep Nguyen (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Merica Clinkenbeard (NAELPA)
Jeff Hutcheson (TESOL International Association)
Margarita Machado-Casas (NABE)
Jenni Mondi De Torres (WIDA)
Description:
The National English Learner Roundtable represents over 20 organizations whose members are serving multilingual learners of English and their educators, schools, and communities in the United States. Panelists from partner associations will provide an overview of activities and efforts to affect positive policy for English learners in U.S. public education.

CAL Presentation: Intersectional Identities Within and Beyond TESOL: Continuing the Conversation
2026-03-26 08:00 - 2026-04-03 09:15 (America/Denver)
Event: TESOL Conference 2026
Location: Ballroom J at the Salt Palace Convention Center
Date & Time: March 26, 2026 | 8:00 AM – 9:15 AM
Session Format: Intersection Session
Presenter(s):
Dr. Ching-Ching Lin (Adelphi University)
Dr. Kia Johnson (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Ricardo Valle (Euroidiomas)
Moderator:
Drew Fagan (University of Maryland)
Description:
Description: This panel aims to extend and expand collective efforts by showcasing intersectional identities in TESOL and amplifying identities across generations and geographical spaces in teaching, research, mentoring, and leading. Panelists explore disability, queerness, leadership, race, multilingualism, and other identities crucial for cultivating and sustaining intersectional identities within and beyond TESOL.

CAL Presentation: Increasing EL Achievement Through Teacher Capacity Building
2026-03-26 13:00 (America/Denver)
Event: TESOL Conference 2026
Location: 150 DEF at the Salt Palace Convention Center
Date & Time: March 26, 2026 |1:00 PM
Session Format: Presentation
Presenter(s):
Marybelle Marrero-Colón (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Carmen De La Cruz Scales (Carlin Springs Elementary School)
This presentation showcases one school’s journey toward capacity building. By focusing on an effective, research-based model, this school built a 3-year plan to improve teacher capacity. Supported by a job-embedded approach featuring guided lesson design and lesson study, results are noted in improved teacher evaluations, student achievement, and language proficiency.

CAL Presentation: Leading and Learning for Rural Multilingual Learners: An Inquiry Session
2026-03-27 10:00 - 10:45 (America/Denver)
Event: TESOL Convention 2026
Location: Ballroom F at the Salt Palace Convention Center
Date & Time: March 27, 2026 | 10:00 AM – 10:45 AM
Session Format: Presentation
Presenter(s):
Diep Nguyen(Center for Applied Linguistics)
Kia Johnson (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Description:
This session explores how literacy instruction can be meaningful and fun through activities such as multilingual story boxes, multicultural literacy autobiographies, dice conversations, and writing from visuals. Participants engage in various activities and analyze how they can support foundational skill development, reading comprehension, and language acquisition.
