Building Gateways Together: WIDA Annual Conference Registration Is Open

By Hannah Haynes

Collaboration opens doors to innovation, enhanced instructional practices and opportunities for multilingual learners. That belief is at the heart of the 2026 WIDA Annual Conference, now open for registration. This year’s gathering invites educators to come together under the theme “Building gateways to colaboración” from September 16-18, 2026, in St. Louis, Missouri. The virtual day will be held before the in-person conference on September 15.

This year’s theme honors the power of collaboration among educators, communities and families. By creating opportunities for teachers to share expertise, strategies and resources, we create meaningful opportunities for professional growth and stronger classroom practices.

In-Person 

Keynote Speaker

Cristina Henríquez is the author of the widely acclaimed novel The Book of Unknown Americans and, most recently, The Great Divide. Through her writing, Cristina brings forward the deeply human stories behind immigration. Drawing inspiration from her father’s immigration journey from Panamá to the United States, The Book of Unknown Americans offers a nuanced and compassionate exploration of identity, belonging and what it means to be American through the voices of characters across Latin America.

In her keynote, Cristina will invite educators to consider the power of stories as a tool for learning, empathy and connection, emphasizing how authentic narratives can deepen students’ sense of belonging.

In-Person Closing Keynote Speaker

The in-person conference will conclude with a powerful and inspiring closing keynote from Diep Nguyen, whose work has shaped multilingual education for educators across the WIDA Consortium and beyond. As a key leader in the development of the WIDA 2020 English Language Development Standards Framework, Diep brings a deep understanding of how standards, research and professional learning come together to support educators and students. Her career has been guided by a commitment to ensuring that multilingual learners’ language development and academic growth are centered in classroom instruction, assessment and policy.

Virtual Track Keynote Speaker

Just like last year, we have a specially curated virtual track for the WIDA Annual Conference, including a special virtual keynote speaker.

We’re thrilled to welcome Andrea Honigsfeld as our virtual keynote speaker for #WIDA2026. Andrea is a professor in the School of Education and Human Services at Molloy College. Before entering the field of teacher education, she was an English-as-a-foreign-language teacher in Hungary (secondary and adult) and an English-as-a-second-language teacher in New York City (elementary and adult). She also taught Hungarian at New York University. Andrea was a recipient of a doctoral fellowship at St. John’s University in New York, where she conducted research on individualized instruction. She has published extensively on working with multilingual learners and collaborative instructional practices. She received a Fulbright Award to lecture in Iceland in the fall of 2002. Over the past 25 years, she has been presenting at conferences around the world.

Thank You!

In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, we would like to say thank you to all teachers for your dedication, generosity and passion. From May 4-10, 2026, you can register at the discounted rate of $695.

Thank you for all that you’ve done (and continue to do) for students and their families, colleagues and your own family, friends and community.

Register for #WIDA2026

In-person registration rates:

• Teacher Appreciation Rate is $695 and is available May 4-10
• Early Bird Rate is $735 and is available May 11-June 7

Virtual track registration rates:

• Teacher Appreciation Rate is $195 and is available May 4-10
• Early Bird Rate is $235 and is available May 11-June 7
• Recording-Only Rate is $165 

In-person and live virtual track registration also includes post-event access to recordings.

Ready to register? Head over to the Registration page to reserve your seat. Pre-registration is required for all in-person concurrent sessions. Review the entire session schedule so you are prepared to select your choices at registration.