Ryoko Yamaguchi is a social scientist and former special education teacher with over 25 years of experience in K-12 education serving disadvantaged students as a practitioner, researcher, parent leader, and advocate. Dr. Yamaguchi has advised state and local education policy makers, school and teacher leaders, school board members, and community and parent leaders across the country on effective school practices to increase student learning and ameliorate achievement gaps. Laureen Avery leads the work of UCLA’s Center X efforts in the Northeastern US, and has more than 30 years of experience in K-12 public education as a researcher and practitioner. Avery developed and leads whole school improvement programs focused on improving outcomes for English learners and at-risk students. Jason Cervone is the Northeast Region Project Director for UCLA Center X’s Project Exc EL Leadership Academy. He has over a decade of experience in public education as a researcher, advisor, and evaluator, focusing on improving instruction for English Learners. Lisa Di Martino is a former Program Manager for UCLA Center X, Northeast Region, and is currently pursuing her doctoral degree at Lesley University. Di Martino has over fifteen years of experience working with educators, administrators, and community organizations to improve student achievement through professional development and program evaluation. Adam Hall is an education research and policy consultant. He has served the education community as an evaluator, technical assistance provider, and professional developer for over 20 years.