Montserrat Garibay spent 25 years in public education and labor advocacy, from teaching bilingual pre-K in Austin to serving as Director of the U.S. Department of Education's Office of English Language Acquisition.

In this episode, she previews her Back to School conference session, "Building Power for English Learners: Organizing in a Changing Educational Landscape." She also touches on topics such as organizing and advocacy for EL programs, misconceptions about bilingual education, practical strategies for teachers without full program support, parent and family engagement, and why conference and community connections matter for educators working in isolation.