THIS IS A MESSAGE FROM MABE PRESIDENT DR. RABIA HOŞ. 

Merhaba, hola, olá, bonjour, and hello familia de MABE! 

Welcome to a new school year! As educators and advocates for multilingual learners, we know this time of year brings both excitement and the whirlwind of getting classrooms, schedules, and routines back in motion. Whether you're welcoming new students, reconnecting with returning families, or stepping into a new role this year, know that MABE is here alongside you. This summer, our board and staff have been working hard behind the scenes to strengthen the resources, networks, and opportunities we offer our members – because the work you do to expand what's possible for multilingual learners deserves nothing less. We're so grateful to walk this journey with you, and I can't wait to see what we build together in 2026-27!

Here’s some of the amazing work that our dedicated staff and board have been up to this summer:

VISION, MISSION, VALUES, & GUIDING PRINCIPLES 

It is my pleasure to debut MABE’s revised Vision, Mission, Values, and Guiding Principles. Our Board has been brainstorming, drafting, and revising these statements for more than a year, and it is our goal that they will continue to inspire our members to expand what is possible for every multilingual learner and educator. Learn more here. 

NETWORKS 

You’re invited to join our    DLBE Networks   f for  Leaders,  Coaches,  Special Educators,  and  Teachers! NEW this year we are offering the  Red de lectoescritura para maestras, our first Network entirely in Spanish. You are all invited to the first    FREE meeting to introduce our Networks – “DLBE Starting Strong: Navigating Tensions at Start of School.”    Networks are the ideal format to connect across states to expand toolkits, collaborate in a system of support, and grow professionally.

SCHOOL VISITS

School Visits will be held Monday-Friday November 2-6 and 16-20, 2026. Registration will open on September 22, but in the meantime Call for Host Schools is open. There are two different formats for our School Visits: General Tours and Spotlight Lesson Demonstrations (a more comprehensive formal classroom visit or a prepared lesson with support from MABE staff and an invitation to present at our March 2027 MABE Conference).

CONFERENCE 

We are hard at work planning for our MABE 2027 Conference, and we are happy to announce that this year we will all come together on Saturday, March 20 at the Margarita Muñiz Academy in Boston, Massachusetts. “Living, Learning, and Prospering in Two Languages: Invest in Bilingual Education” also celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Amigos School in Cambridge, MA, and 15 years of DLBE in the Margarita Muñiz Academy. 

BOARD DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE 

MABE has  multiple committees for board members and members    with a variety of purposes to reflect the goals of our strategic plan. New this year is the Development Committee, whose purpose is to grow the organization financially by identifying funding sources and creating fundraising activities. Board member Dr. Sandra Silva-Enos will be leading the committee, and interested is welcome to email ssilvaenos@gmail.com. We invite MABE members with experience in development and fundraising to join us as we continue to grow MABE and advance equitable bilingual education. 

As always, MABE offers Consulting Services    and  help with advocacy    – please contact our Executive Director,  ,  Dr. Meg Burns  w with any inquiries. MABE’s continued work co-leading  Project SEMBRAR  is building a Grow-Your-Own Bilingual Educator Pathway, coordinated by Phyllis Hardy. Lastly, don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you need us  – we are here to serve you! 

In solidarity – dayanışmayla, en solidaridad, em soludariedade, 

Rabia Hoş (she/her)

MABE President (2026-28)

THIS IS A MESSAGE FROM MABE'S PRESIDENT. 

Merhaba, hola, Olá, bonjour, and hello familia de MABE! 

This is Rabia Hoş, your new MABE Board President starting this year July 2026 through July 2028. I am honored to step into this role and I am reaching out to our members and contacts with some important MABE staffing changes.

This is a summer of change for MABE, as we prepare for an Executive Director transition. Phyllis Hardy, who has served MABE since 2006, is stepping down from her position as Executive Director starting September 2026. 

With a background as a bilingual special educator, Phyllis has served the Northeast’s DLBE programs, educators, and students for over 50 years. As a founding member of the Massachusetts Language Opportunity Coalition, she advocated tirelessly for years for passage of the LOOK Act. Her leadership has transformed MABE into a multistate, multifaceted organization, and her innovative coalition-building work is instrumental in advocating for the needs of bilingual students, teachers, and families, across our region and nationally. She is appreciative of the many bilingual educators that joined her in successfully building MABE to what it is today. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that MABE would not be the education nonprofit it is today without Phyllis’ ardent efforts – I share with you some highlights of her time with us. Although Phyllis will remain with MABE as a Senior Advisor and New England Project SEMBRAR Coordinator, she is looking forward to spending more time with her children, grandkids, and husband – and catching up with other interests.

Phyllis is passing the baton of Executive Director to Dr. Meg Burns. Meg is a DLBE expert and advocate whose experiences as a teacher, researcher, and teacher educator have shaped her work as MABE’s Director of Professional Learning over the past two years. Previously, Meg was Associate Professor of TESOL and Bilingual Education and Program Director of Early Childhood Education at Lesley University, and a first grade teacher in a public Spanish Immersion Dual Language school.

Left to right: Phyllis Hardy, Elissa Washburn, and Dr. Meg Burns. 

Meg has also served MABE as a Board Member, President, and Consultant, contributing to regional advocacy activities and DLBE technical assistance. She holds a B.A. from Vassar College, an M.A. in Applied Linguistics from the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and a Ph.D. in Educational Equity and Cultural Diversity from the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Phyllis and the Board have full confidence in Meg’s capacity to continue to grow MABE and support fellow DLBE educators and programs. Although our team already misses Phyllis’ steady presence and extensive wisdom, we are looking forward to seeing MABE further expand under Meg’s leadership. You’re in good hands, MABE.

Elissa Washburn, who has been a consultant with MABE for more than 6 years and has served as part-time Assistant Director of Professional Learning this past year, will become MABE’s full-time Director of Professional Learning in Meg’s stead. Elissa brings over 15 years experience in DLBE, beginning her career as a third grade DLBE teacher facilitating in Spanish. Elissa holds a M.A. in Bilingual Education from Columbia University. Learn more on MABE’s Staff page. 

We thank you for your continued trust in MABE – it is a trust our whole team carries with care, and one I don’t take lightly as I begin this new chapter with you. And, most importantly, we hope that you are enjoying your summer – wherever it finds you: with family, with rest, with quiet moments that often gets pushed aside during the school year. As educators, summer is a vital time to recharge, reconnect, and return to what refills us – before we gather our energy again for the coming school year. 

In solidarity – dayanışmayla, en solidaridad, em soludariedade, 

This virtual conversation with Dr. Brenda Lewis, the Superintendent of Fridley Public Schools in Minnesota, hosted by the National Center for Youth Law, will take place tomorrow Wednesday, March 11 at 4-5pm ET.