Esther Tricoche, Associate Partner at NewSchools Venture Fund, moderated a session examining the rapidly changing demographics in the US. The panel of leaders who joined her included:

• Jordan Meranus, Co-founder and CEO of Ellevation Education
• Mirta Desir, CEO and Founder of Smart Coos
• Roberto Gutiérrez, President of Latino Educational Equity Partnerships
• Jenny Ancheta-Garcia, Associate Trainer for The Sobrato Family Foundation

The panelists explored how schools can best serve English Language Learners and what the edtech market can do to meet this demand.

It was noted that there is a place for edtech tools, however those tools need to not only promote isolated work, but rather multi-language and multi-student interactions. Dual language is essential to education– education leaders need to completely move away from English only programs and shift how they view language in society so that multiple languages are celebrated and viewed as important.

It is the teachers’ job to help families embrace their native language. Dual Language instruction is becoming the preferred way to approach ELLs because it engages them on a cultural and intellectual level.