Areas of Impact

Multilingual and multicultural progress is shaped by leaders working across research, classrooms, communities, and systems. These Areas of Recognition honor individuals and organizations whose contributions generate lasting impact — strengthening opportunity, identity, access, and excellence for multilingual learners across languages and generations.

Advancing Knowledge That Shapes the Field

Celebrating scholars and researchers whose work deepens understanding of multilingualism, multiculturalism, biliteracy, cognition, language development, and learning sciences. This category honors contributions that extend beyond publication to influence policy, inform instructional practice, and guide the future direction of multilingual education.

Policy & Advocacy

Shedding light on policymakers, advocates, and system-level leaders who establish legislation, protections, and public frameworks that advance linguistic equity and educational access. This category elevates efforts that convert ideas into durable structures capable of sustaining progress at scale.

Leadership & Capacity Building

Recognizing mentors, professional learning designers, and organizational leaders who cultivate expertise, confidence, and shared responsibility across institutions. This category honors work that develops the human infrastructure necessary for sustainable and systemic improvement.

Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Learners

Honoring practices and leadership that position learners’ cultural and linguistic assets as foundations for academic success. This category celebrates culturally responsive, asset-based, and translanguaging approaches that affirm identity, deepen engagement, and ensure instruction reflects the lived realities and strengths of multilingual learners.

Assessment, Measurement, and Accountability

Showcasing innovators who design equitable assessment systems, multilingual progress indicators, and accountability frameworks that accurately capture learner growth across languages, contexts, and time. This category honors work that moves beyond compliance toward measures that illuminate authentic learning, honor linguistic development, and guide informed decision-making at every level of the system.

Family, Community, and Cross-Sector Partnerships

Highlighting leaders who build and sustain powerful partnerships among families, communities, schools, higher education, and public and private institutions. This category elevates collaborative efforts that amplify voice, broaden access, and create ecosystems of shared responsibility that strengthen outcomes for multilingual learners and their communities.