Across the country, school districts are striving to boost academic outcomes and support English learners while navigating persistent challenges and federal uncertainties. This special report focuses on the day-to-day realities and practical solutions shaping teaching and learning in today’s classrooms. Through ground-level reporting and new data, we examine how educators serve English learners facing unique academic barriers, the high-stakes push for early screening, the integration of AI translation tools for family engagement, and the reality of what type of education students actually experience across grade levels.