Kayla Haynes, Monett Early Childhood Center, Monett, MO     Intro   In our community we recently had an increase in students who speak Burmese or Karen. As an Early Childhood Special Education teacher watching the referrals come through, I began to notice that home language literacy needed to be strengthened to develop age-appropriate communication skills. Many of our 3–4-year-old students did not have the language skills to say a complete sentence in their home language.   

Brenda Stolle, LEAD Innovation Studio, Kansas City, MO   LEADing Internationally emphasizes a strengths-based approach which values learning in any language (Regional Educational Laboratory Program, 2015). This project seeks to provide materials in students’ home languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, Somali & Spanish) for student project work, required coursework, and for pleasure reading. LEADing Internationally also supports our goal to showcase multilingual/multicultural

LaShonda Paulsell   Mark Twain Elementary    Springfield, MO     Introduction    Mark Twain Elementary has a diverse population of students and staff, many of whom come from different backgrounds. Our school's diversity needed to be celebrated and recognized. Many students come from low-income families. These students have yet to have the opportunity to travel or gain experiences from other places. Most students that I have had in the past are so interested in learning about