Beyond Translation: Reaching, Engaging, and Celebrating Multilingual Families
Date: 7/22/2026
Time: 9:45 - 10:55 AM
Room: Grand Ballroom A & B (Floor 1)
Gold Mine Roundtable - A live mini-session on a program/best practice topic, with time for Q&A, presented at a table for 8-10 people during three 20-minute rounds. A one- to two-page tip sheet on the presentation topic is required.
EQUITY–Supporting diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in communications and public schools
Session Description
School communicators know that translating messages into another language is only the first step. True engagement with multilingual families requires trust, cultural awareness, and communication strategies that feel personal, respectful and inclusive. This session moves beyond word for word translation to explore how school districts and charter networks can build meaningful, two-way communication with families who speak languages other than English at home.
Designed for 1-3rd year communications professionals, family engagement leaders, and school administrators, this session will share practical real-world strategies for reaching multilingual families in ways that strengthen relationships and improve student outcomes. Attendees will learn how to identify communication gaps, select the right tools for their communities and create messages that reflect cultural values, traditions and experiences.
This presentation will draw from work across diverse school communities, and highlight approaches that go beyond checking the box, and into connection. Participants will explore how to develop multilingual communications plans that feel human and accessible, even during high stakes moments such as enrollment season, crisis communications and academic shifts. This session will also examine how schools can celebrate language and culture through storytelling, visuals and community partnerships, rather than treating multilingual communication as a checklist item.
Attendees will leave with tangible examples, messaging frameworks, and planning tools they can immediately adapt for their own schools or districts. Whether participants are just beginning to rethink their multilingual outreach or are looking to strengthen existing efforts, this session will offer insights that are both strategic and deeply practical.
This session is especially valuable for communicators serving increasingly diverse school communities who want to ensure every family feels seen, informed, and welcomed as a true partner in their child’s education.
Presenter(s)
Talia Palacio
Director of Marketing and Communications
Freedom Preparatory Academy
Talia Palacio is a native Spanish speaker and proud Panamanian and Memphis Mississippian with more than 20 years of experience in education, communications, and family engagement. A longtime educator and communications leader, she founded bilingual communications for Shelby County Schools the largest school district in Memphis, Tennessee, where she built strategies that strengthened trust, bridged cultures, and expanded access for Spanish speaking families across the district.
Currently, Talia serves as Director of Marketing and Communications at Freedom Prep Academy, where she leads internal and external communications across the K to 12 charter network in Memphis, Tennessee and Alabama, oversees bilingual communications and social media strategy, and supports media and storytelling efforts that connect schools and families. Her background also includes higher education work at Rust College, where she developed bilingual recruitment and marketing strategies, supported multicultural and international students, and advanced enrollment and engagement efforts as the first manager of multicultural affairs.
Fluent in English and Spanish, Talia brings a thoughtful, culturally responsive approach to communication that blends strategy, storytelling, and community connection. LinkedIn Profile
Beyond Translation: Reaching, Engaging, and Celebrating Multilingual Families
Category
Gold Mine Roundtable - Mini table session on a program/best practice topic, with time for Q&A. 20 minutes (three rounds).