Maria R. Coady is Irving and Rose Fien Endowed Professor and Associate Professor of ESOL/Bilingual Education at the University of Florida, USA. She has worked extensively in rural multilingual settings. She is director of Project STELLAR (Supporting Teachers and Educators of English Language Learners Across Rural Settings) and has taught English and run a mobile bilingual book project with multilingual families.

This book emphasises the importance of engaging multilingual families in school life to support students' academic achievement and overall wellbeing. Although the book examines rural settings and the needs of rural educators and families, the information is of use to all educators aiming to support multilingual students and families.