9th Annual Minnesota SLIFE Conference to be held Apr. 25 in Minneapolis
The 9th Annual Minnesota SLIFE Conference will be held on Sat., Apr. 25, 2026, at Minnesota Transitions Charter School, 2872 26th Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55406. The conference focuses on supporting K-12 through adult educators of multilingual Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE) and all immigrant & refugee students. 30+ outstanding presenters from several states and representing many immigrant communities will share their work on such topics as advocacy, best practices in instruction and assessment of SLIFE, culturally sustaining teaching, heritage language revitalization, trauma-sensitive practice and self-care, student and family mental health, school responses to Operation Metro Surge, and related topics. School districts giving presentations include Columbia Heights, Shakopee, and St. Paul Public Schools.
The day starts at 8:00 with coffee/tea and networking time, followed by Welcome and Introductions at 8:30. The keynote address by WITESOL President Natalija Krsteva begins at 9:00 am. Breakout sessions run 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. CEUs for the day, as well as specific CEUs for 2 mental health sessions, will be available at the conference.
The conference is free and registration is required. All are welcome, no membership required, and attendance is capped at 300 people. Here is the registration link. A free light lunch is available for registered participants, catered by Wally’s Deli (halal/kosher). Ample free parking is available in front of the school. There will be a drawing for door prizes: SLIFE-appropriate materials from Saddleback Educational Publishing.
The conference is sponsored by the MinneSLIFE Standing Committee and Secondary Interest Section of MinneTESOL, Minnesota Transitions Charter School, Hamline University’s ATLAS Center, and Saddleback Educational Publishing.
Questions? Contact minneslife@gmail.com
Keynote Address by Natalija Krsteva, Multilingual Resource Teacher, Verona High School, Wisconsin; WITESOL President
“Meet Them Where They Are: Alternative Graduation Pathways for SLIFE Students”
Mental Health Session by Jenna Christie-Tabron, Senior Training Officer, Switchboard, International Rescue Committee “Supporting Others, Sustaining Yourself: Trauma-Informed Care in Action”