Escuelita is back! From September 22–24, DC Bilingual welcomed educators and school leaders from across DC for our first Escuelita session of the 2026–27 school year: Building a Thriving School & Classroom Culture.
We were thrilled to welcome teams from five schools from DCPS and the charter sector: Mundo Verde, E.W. Stokes East End Campus, E.W. Stokes Brookland Campus, Powell Elementary School, and Global Citizens Public Charter School. Even more exciting was the range of perspectives represented. Participating teams included CEOs, principals, assistant principals, deans of culture and students, afterschool coordinators, and teachers—all learning together and considering how strong school culture is built across an entire organization.
Over three days, participants spent their mornings immersed in the day-to-day life of DC Bilingual. Teams explored the systems, practices, and lessons learned that have helped us build a strong school and classroom culture. They visited classrooms, spoke directly with DC Bilingual teachers and staff, and explored resources and tools that brought those practices to life.
But Escuelita isn't simply about observing what we do at DC Bilingual. Each afternoon, teams stepped away from observation to reflect, make connections to their own school communities, and identify concrete actions they could take back to their organizations.
That combination—seeing the work in action, learning directly from fellow educators, and having dedicated time to turn ideas into action—is at the heart of the Escuelita experience.
As one participant reflected:
Escuelita reminded me that this work is bigger than what happens inside a classroom. It’s about whether students truly feel seen, represented, valued, and like they belong. Seeing the work in real time helped me think differently about my own school and reinforced that culture, language, relationships, accountability, and community all have to work together.
We are grateful to every educator and school leader who joined us for our first session and to the DC Bilingual staff members who opened their classrooms, shared their experiences, and made their practice visible to others.
Most of all, we're excited to see what participating teams take back to their own communities. That's what Escuelita is all about: schools learning from schools, educators feeling inspired and empowered, and spreading strong practices far beyond the walls of one building.
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