Igniting Real Change for Multilingual Learners: Equity and Advocacy in Action

by Carly Spina

Overview

In schools across the country, educators are serving more and more multilingual students and families. This book equips you with the considerations, tools, and resources you need as you fight for equity and advocate for those you serve.

Author Carly Spina unpacks a variety of approaches and lenses, including multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) structures, family engagement, centering student experiences, and nurturing and cultivating a multilingual mindset throughout school classrooms and communities. Each chapter provides practical tools, tips, and vignettes to help you go beyond the “why” to take action. Throughout the book, you will be called to Question, Equip, and Act!

As you work through the book, you’ll be inspired to move your systems forward on your equity journey for multilingual students. Get ready to Ignite Real Change!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781032823362
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	06/30/2025
Series:	Equity and Social Justice in Education Series
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Carly Spina has almost two decades of experience in multilingual education, including her service as an EL teacher, a third-grade bilingual classroom teacher, and a district-wide multilingual instructional coach. She is currently a multilingual education specialist at the Illinois Resource Center. Her first book, Moving Beyond for Multilingual Learners, was a 2023 Equity in Excellence Award Winner. She is on most social media platforms, and you can find her at @MrsSpinasClass.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction: Vision of Equity and Advocacy for Multilingual Learners; 2. Cultivating Multilingual Mindsets across a School Community; 3. Affirming and Honoring the Linguistic Identities of Our Students; 4. Ensuring Equity and Access for Multilingual Learners at Tier 1; 5. Interrupting Inequitable MTSS Tiered Interventions and “Problem-Solving” Structures; 6. Dismantling Barriers for Advanced, Gifted, Enrichment Access; 7. Dismantling Oppressive Family Engagement Practices and Designing Equitable Supports; 8. Upholding our Commitments to Equity for Multilingual Learners and Families