What's ahead at the 2026 WIDA Annual Conference

By Hannah Haynes

The countdown begins for the 2026 WIDA Annual Conference. This year's conference, by teachers, for teachers, is under the theme “Building gateways to colaboración” from September 16-18, 2026, in St. Louis, Missouri. The virtual day is 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.

#WIDA2026 keynote

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.

Closing keynote 

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.

#WIDA2026 virtual track keynote

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.

Sessions shaping the conversation

While the keynotes set the stage, some of this year’s most consequential conversations will happen in breakout sessions, where researchers, practitioners and WIDA's own experts dig into the ideas reshaping how educators support multilingual learners.

Here are some to keep an eye on:

• Connecting WIDA and NGSS for Multilingual Science Learning, presented by WIDA co-founder Tim Boals, educator Iovanna Williams and professor and researcher Okhee Lee
• Empowering Multilingual Learners and Teachers Through Collaborative Assessment, presented by virtual keynote speaker and professor Andrea Honigsfeld and WIDA co-founder Margo Gottlieb
• Literacy for All: Centering Multilingual Learners, presented by UW-Madison School of Education Dean Marcelle Haddix and WIDA Executive Director Jenni Torres

These capture what this year’s conference is about: researchers and educators working side by side to move the field forward.

Recording-only access 

Interested in catching the virtual track on your own schedule? A recording-only option is available so you can participate in your own place, at your own pace. Recording-only participants will receive access to recorded virtual sessions and both the virtual and in-person keynotes on October 12, 2026.

Recording-only access is available for purchase until October 4, 2026.

Share on social for #WIDA2026

Share your favorite conference quotes, moments and photos on social media! Use the hashtag #WIDA2026. Follow WIDA on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and X before and during the conference to stay connected to the #WIDA2026 buzz and excitement.