ELL News Headlines

In the opening scene of "The Last Repair Shop," a young girl with beads in her braids smiles at the camera. "I love the violin. … If I didn't have my violin from school, I would probably, I don't know what I’d do. Don't even jinx me with that." The Oscar-nominated short documentary, directed by Ben Proudfoot and Kris Bowers, tells the story of the technicians who clean and repair more than 100,000 instruments for the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Young English learners face a two-fold challenge in learning to read. They need to learn how to map spoken sounds to written letters, the phonics skills that allow them to decode words on the page, just as native English speakers do. But at the same time, they’re also developing new language skills in English—knowledge that’s essential to their ability to understand written text. How to address these dual priorities was the subject of an Education Week webinar on March 4. Two experts in the field discussed a joint statement, authored by advocates for the science of reading and advocates for English learners, that outlines guiding tenets for classroom practice.

This selection of picture books features various traditions and ways to celebrate the holy month, showing young readers the diversity within the Muslim community while celebrating the shared principles.

An experienced educator offers practical tips to help English language learning specialists work effectively with classroom teachers.

I imagine the objective of the original family tree exercise was never to fill in box after box in rote fashion but to foster curiosity among children and conversation with their elders around history, connection and contribution.

This post continues a series in which educators share what they have learned from their biggest teaching mistakes.

Taking a break from textbooks or novels to read a comic is celebratory for students, even if the content of the book can be weighty. The use of artwork alongside text makes for a compelling reading experience that makes a story come alive. This is true for history and nonfiction, where words and images work together to invite students to participate in the narrative. 

Of all the magical story time moments I’ve witnessed as a librarian, the most mesmerizing was watching a yoga instructor quiet a room of 20 rioting, rambunctious toddlers with a glitter calming jar.

Federal accountability measures under the Every Student Succeeds Act include the outcomes of English learners in evaluating schools for improvement. That’s both in terms of the students’ English-language proficiency progress and their test scores in math and English/language arts.

The Ezra Jack Keats Foundation, in partnership with the de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection at the University of Southern Mississippi, has announced the 2024 Ezra Jack Keats Award winners.  The annual award is given to early career authors and illustrators for excellence in portraying the multicultural nature of the world.