Andrea L. Ochoa, Ph.D., examined interview data collected from school principals across California during the 2022–23 academic year. Using a modified social justice policy implementation framework, her analysis revealed themes related to principals’ depth of understanding regarding their staff and community, how their school policies address or neglect the needs of multilingual learners, and the extent to which school leaders’ beliefs and perceptions inform practical decision making. This talk will elucidate how the principals’ understanding of the needs and characteristics of a school community informs their policy and program decisions.