Growing up in an Indian American household in Orange County, Sailee Charlu spoke English as her native language but began learning Spanish at an early age.
That early connection to another language would eventually develop into an interest in bilingual education and a yearlong effort to expand multilingual learning opportunities for students.
Now, the 17-year-old Orange County School of the Arts student and recent Orange County Department of Education summer intern is taking that work to the state level.
In an Aug. 13 Orange County Register feature, reporting intern Lillian Ashworth profiled Charlu’s efforts to advance bilingual education in California, including her work on proposed legislation that would formally recognize translanguaging as an instructional approach.
“Especially coming from an immigrant background, I think language functions as the gatekeeper to belonging,” Charlu told the Register. “This whole thing just spanned from my love of the Spanish language.”
Translanguaging allows multilingual students and educators to use another language to clarify concepts or ask questions while core instruction remains in English.
According to the Register, Charlu has drafted proposed legislation that would explicitly recognize the practice as an option in California education law. After working with the office of state Sen. Tom Umberg, she is now seeking a legislator to sponsor and formally introduce the proposal.
Charlu also spent four weeks at OCDE this summer, working with the department’s Educational Services division. The internship gave her an opportunity to explore work closely connected to her interest in multilingual education.
Here are the other stories we’ve been following this week:
- The Orange County Department of Education recognized 11 educators and community leaders with 2026 Outstanding STEM Educator Awards for their contributions to hands-on learning, career exploration and STEM opportunities for Orange County students.
- Nearly 100 Orange County students gathered for the inaugural OC Pathways Student Leadership Summit, where they connected with industry professionals and program alumni while building leadership, career readiness and problem-solving skills.
- The Newport-Mesa Unified School District has banned students in kindergarten through eighth grade from riding e-bikes on school property, while high school students may continue to ride them after completing district safety training.
- The Anaheim Union High School District is reviewing six proposals to redevelop the vacant Hope School property in Buena Park, with plans that include housing, health care facilities and potential long-term revenue for the district.
- Students from OCDE’s ACCESS and Connections programs showcased their singing, dancing and acting skills at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts after two weeks of working with professional teaching artists through Summer at the Center.
- Some California schools are returning unused Proposition 28 arts education funding to the state, citing challenges including a shortage of arts teachers and uncertainty over how the voter-approved funds can be spent.
- The Garden Grove Unified School District celebrated the renaming of Rosita Elementary as Frank and Irene Palomino Elementary School, honoring the couple’s role as plaintiffs in the landmark Mendez v. Westminster school desegregation case.
- California has resumed publishing school-by-school English learner reclassification rates for the first time since 2020-21, giving educators and families additional data to assess where students may need more support in reaching English proficiency.
- Parents and educators share strategies for making parent-teacher conferences more productive, including communicating early, asking focused questions and leaving each meeting with clear next steps to support student progress.
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