Welcome to our May Coalition Newsletter! Since our last newsletter we hosted our 6th and final Multilingual Education Advocacy Workshop: “What Does a Quality Education Look Like?” presented by James Cahan. Parents, educators, and individuals shared their experiences within education systems and explored many topics, including the difference between bilingualism and biliteracy. We will continue working with our workshop participants to implement their advocacy plans, so stay tuned for updates. Our 5th annual Multilingual Education Advocacy Day took place on Tuesday, April 4th at the Rhode Island State House. It was an incredibly impactful event and we are immensely grateful to our Advocacy Committee and Committee Chair, Rebecca Klassen, for making this event come to life. We look forward to seeing you at MEAD 2024! Our “Spotlight on Multilingualism: RIC and the Community” series in collaboration with the RICWorld Language Education program, the Institute for Portuguese and Lusophone Studies, came to an end with our final installment “Supporting a Multilingual Rhode Island: Actions for RIC and the State.” Thank you to all who joined us virtually and in-person. The Coalition for a Multilingual RI attended MABE’s annual conference in Hartford, CT. Coalition coordinator, Alicia Pratt, participated in a panel discussion sharing her lived experience with multilingual education challenges and benefits. Thank you to Rabia Hos and James Cahan for inviting the Coalition and facilitating such a wonderful discussion. Hearings for HB5777 (Support and Access to Bilingual Education Act) and HB6023 (Multilingual Educator Investment Act) were held. We are so thankful to our partner organizations for helping us spread the word, and to the advocates that gave testimony. Both bills are being held for further study in the House, but we are awaiting Senate hearings so please prepare your testimony. Talking points for 5777 can be found here, and here for 6023. | 
