WABE 2026 Annual Conference

Brilliance in teaching shouldn’t be reserved for a select few. It’s a practice—a way of showing up, seeing clearly, and crafting experiences that honor the full humanity of every student. In this interactive, three-hour session, we’ll unpack what “brilliant teaching” looks like in classrooms that serve linguistically and culturally diverse populations. We’ll explore how mindset, presence, and purpose—alongside tools for engagement and rigor—can transform everyday instruction into a platform for student empowerment. Special attention will be given to how educators can recognize and respond to the assets of multilingual families as part of a strategy for Equity and inclusion. Just as a painter creates on the medium of a canvas, a teacher creates through the medium of experience. Participants will leave with specific strategies and reflective tools for designing culturally responsive instruction that fosters voice, power, and purpose for every learner.

This session requires pre-registration. If you wish to add the pre-conference to your registration please email the WABE Registrar.

This session explores how to maximize student success on the WIDA ACCESS by examining it through two critical lenses: the student experience and the teacher’s role in preparation. The session will highlight how schools can increase Reclassified Fluent English Proficient (RFEP) passing rates, strengthen instructional practices, and build systems of support that empower both teachers and students to thrive. Participants will learn strategies for providing compensatory instruction to Multilingual Learners (MLs) to ensure long-term academic success.

Discover how leaders of a district came together to shape the future of literacy instruction by building a unified, system-wide framework with multilingual learners at its heart. In this dynamic session, we’ll dive into how they aligned resources, fostered coherence, and built the infrastructure needed to deliver equitable, high-quality language and literacy education. Walk away with practical strategies and a vision for empowering every multilingual student to thrive.

Our interactive session offers the participants an opportunity to co-create communities of voice, power, and purpose via collaboration structures that serve to empower multilingual learners. Anchored to the new, 2nd edition of the Collier, Thomas, & Lachance book, Educating English Learners for a Transformed World, we share applicable tools to co-create and grow collaboration practices in DLBE settings. Specifically, we'll do some deep dives into several of the chapter topics such as Full Gap Closure, Program Effectiveness, Enrichment Programs, Testing, and Future Action Recommendations. Come join us!