How do policy and practice work together to support English and multilingual learners in America’s classrooms? In this episode, host Dr. Jobi Lawrence is joined by Dr. Megan Hopkins, professor at UC San Diego, and Dr. Hayley Weddle, an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Foundations, Organizations, and Policy at the University of Pittsburgh, to discuss the evolving landscape of educational policy. Together, they unpack how state leaders engage with the CCSSO English Learner Collaborative, the influence of federal shifts, and how research is shaping more inclusive systems. Tune in to hear how these experts are driving impact from the top down—and the ground up.

In this episode, we sit with Dr. Julie Sugarman, Associate Director for K-12 Education Research at the Migration Policy Institute’s National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy. Dr. Sugarman helps stakeholders make sense of the complex research and policy issues impacting English and multilingual learners. Together, we explore the rapidly changing policy landscape, the challenges facing schools and educators, and what brought Dr. Sugarman to the policy arena.

Concluding our four-part series on student voice- A journey that's taken us through the transformative stories of young leaders who helped shape the Iowa Student Learning Institute and amplify the voices of multilingual learners. To close out the series, we welcome Dr. Byron Darnall, the co-lead of the Student Voice Initiative. Dr. Darnall has over two decades of experience in education. Follow along as we share the impact of the student leadership initiative and Dr. Darnall's perspective on the legacy of this work.