Language is more than a means of representing and communicating ideas. It is subject to one's values and beliefs about language and people. For this reason, it is also a means of constructing an identity, a place of belonging in a complex world. Various authors have set forth visions of young people constructing social places for themselves amid the voices and images of their worlds. This social agency entails making use of languages and engaging in communicative practices not necessarily included in their school's official agendas. In this article, the author interweaves key themes of this issue's articles and its portrayal of students, teachers and texts in a world of shifting populations, multimodal literacies, multilingualism, and multiplying Englishes. These themes include the current policy context of regulated standards, youthful desire for public participation, and a fluid world of hybrid indentities and shifting literacies. The author also considers what the issue implies about the conceptual revision of English language arts (ELA) teaching and learning necessary for opening curricular doors to the voices, and challenges, of children and youth's language lives.