Site header logo for Pathways
8th Annual Dual Language Symposium - A Symphony of Languages | Una sinfonía de idiomas hero image

8th Annual Dual Language Symposium - A Symphony of Languages | Una sinfonía de idiomas

2026 Dual Language Symposium – Schaumburg, IL
Saturday, February 28, 2026

Una sinfonía de idiomas: vivimos en un mundo multilingüe y unido | A Symphony of Languages: We Live in a United, Multilingual World

Register now! | Sponsorships | Speaking opportunities | Symposium history

A symposium designed by educators, for educators.

Symposium overview

  • Keynote speaker, Dr. Josefina V. Tinajero, from University of Texas at El Paso
  • 20+ interactive sessions
  • This symposium offers sessions that are relevant and beneficial for all educators, including teachers, administrative leaders and professors.
  • A tailored agenda that addresses the biggest challenges facing educators and multilingual learners
  • Educators have attended from dual language programming in Spanish, Mandarin, Polish, Japanese, Arabic and more!
  • The most exciting and expanding professional networking symposium in the region, with over 300 participants expected in 2026!
  • The full symposium agenda will be shared with registered participants about a week prior to the event

PD / CPDU hours

PD (CPDU) hours will be available (up to 5 hours allowed). IL educators, please find the PD hours table on the day of the event, sign in/out with your IEIN and email, and submit the ISBE evaluation form at the end of the day. Attendees interested in PD hours from out of state should stop by the PD hours table to sign in/out with your email and complete the evaluation form. All attendees who complete the evaluation form will receive a certificate of completion sent to their email. For out-of-state attendees, approval for credit is up to your state or district.

→ Download the PDF flyer

Event details

  • Location: Roosevelt University (Schaumburg, IL)
  • Date: Saturday, February 28, 2026
  • Time: 8:00am-5:00pm US Central Time
  • Cost: $95 Early Bird Registration ($125 starting December 1, 2025)
  • Certificate: Each participant will receive a certificate of completion after the event.

REGISTRATION
Join us for a wonderful day of learning and collaboration.

→ Sign-up today

Keynote speaker
Dr. Josefina V. Tinajero

Dr. Josefina V. Tinajero is a Professor of Teacher Education at the University of Texas at El Paso and a nationally recognized leader in bilingual and multicultural education. A former Dean of the College of Education, she has dedicated her career to advancing equity and excellence for culturally and linguistically diverse students. Her research and advocacy focus on bilingual education, teacher preparation, and family engagement, with a special emphasis on creating pathways to success for English learners and Hispanic communities.

Dr. Tinajero’s work has been supported by prestigious federal grants, including the Hawkins Center of Excellence for Hispanic Teacher Preparation. She is widely respected for her vision, scholarship, and leadership in shaping the future of biliteracy and teacher education.

“The best part of the symposium was having the opportunity to collaborate with other bilingual educators and continue learning research based strategies to support our emergent bilinguals.”

– Previous Dual Language Symposium Attendee

“Presenters were enthusiastic, engaged attendees and motivated them to implement strategies. Topics presented were excellent! I will return and recommend my coworkers to attend next year.”

– Previous Dual Language Symposium Attendee

Sponsorships – Increase your visibility with educators and colleagues

There are multiple sponsorship levels available to accommodate varying sizes of organizations and budgets.

Dual Language Champion

  • Present a 1-hour educational session
  • Two promotional emails to attendees to increase brand visibility (one before and one after the event)
  • Two exhibitor tables
  • Four booth attendees with lunch included
  • 1/2 page ad featuring your brand in addition to logo placement in the symposium program
  • Logo placement on the conference webpage
  • One symposium tote insert
  • Cost: $2,000

Dual Language Partner

  • One email promotion to attendees to increase brand visibility (one before or after the event)
  • One exhibitor table
  • Three booth attendees with lunch included
  • 1/4 page ad featuring your brand in addition to logo placement in the symposium program
  • Logo placement on the conference webpage
  • One symposium tote insert
  • Cost: $1,000

Dual Language Advocate

  • One exhibitor table
  • Two booth attendees with lunch included
  • Logo in the symposium program
  • Logo placement on the conference webpage
  • Cost: $200

Dual Language Ally

  • One exhibihibor table
  • One booth attendee with lunch included
  • Logo in the symposium program
  • Logo placement on the conference webpage
  • Cost: $150 Non-profit / local business
→ Become a sponsor today
→ Download the PDF Flyer

PRESENTED BY

Speaking opportunities – Call for Proposals

Man wearing a white shirt and holding a microphone in front of a small audience.

What presentation opportunities are available?

We are looking forward to another event full of fabulous presentations at the 2026 Dual Language Symposium! Lead presenters receive complimentary registration.

The proposal window is now open through November 30, 2025!

→ Submit your proposal
White location pin icon to describe location of the symposium.

Roosevelt University
Schaumburg Campus

White calendar pin icon to describe location of the symposium.

Conference – February 28, 2026
8:00am – 5:00pm

Have questions?
educators@wceps.org

2025 – A Review in Images

The 2025 Dual Language Symposium, hosted at Roosevelt University in Chicago, IL, brought together educators and colleagues to share fresh strategies for dual language success—an inspiring way to kick off March! In just one day, the roundtables, presentations, and discussions offered an incredible amount of learning.

The success of the symposium lies in the educator community. By coming together to learn, reflect, and exchange ideas, we strengthen our classrooms and enhance student learning. Collaboration remains at the heart of this work, united by our shared commitment to supporting the students we serve.

“The biggest take away from this symposium, for me, was connecting with SpEd Bilingual teachers from other districts and realizing that we all are struggling with some of the same issues while also sharing strategies and success stories. I had a wonderful, fulfilling time. I am thankful to my district for the opportunity to participate and I am looking forward to it again.”

– Previous Dual Language Symposium Attendee

“One major takeaway from the symposium was a sense that I am part of a greater movement to promote language learning. I loved learning about how the bilingual brain operates and how we best support our dual language students.”

– Previous Dual Language Symposium Attendee

Dual Language Symposium history

The Dual Language Symposium is an annual event hosted at Roosevelt University. In 2018, faculty and alumni from Roosevelt’s Dual Language Teacher Leadership MA program gathered to envision a conference that brings together the dual language community to support each other’s work as educators of language learners and advocates of bilingualism. With its inaugural event in 2019, the Dual Language Symposium features a keynote speaker, morning and afternoon breakout sessions, roundtable lunch, community performance, and vendors of multilingual materials. After the initial grant period concluded, Roosevelt partnered with WCEPS, a non-profit organization affiliated with the UW-Madison, to host the 2024 symposium and future events, aiming to sustain and expand this well-loved annual event, while staying loyal to its teacher-led roots.