Dr. Anna Taboada Barber explores the cognitive and motivational factors affecting reading comprehension in linguistically diverse students. She highlights challenges bilingual learners face and emphasizes executive functioning, oral language development, and culturally relevant teaching. Advocating for bilingualism as an asset, she encourages family support for first-language literacy and strategic classroom instruction. Dr. Barber shares practical strategies to boost confidence, engagement, and comprehension, reinforcing the importance of choice, discussion, and meaningful learning opportunities.