ELL News Headlines

While almost 7 in 10 Latino parents prefer to start the school year remotely because of the coronavirus, over 80 percent worry their kids will fall behind.

Three years ago, teacher Kerri Landry found a hole in the wall of her middle-school classroom in Coventry, Rhode Island. It looked strange, so Landry took a flash photo of the inside of the hole — and captured a troubling image. "The entire inside of that wall was all black mold, the entire thing," she told Business Insider. Landry's school isn't exceptional: Research shows that air quality is a major issue in tens of thousands of schools across the US. A June report from the Government Accountability Office estimated that 41% of districts nationwide, or 36,000 schools, need major upgrades to their HVAC systems. Before the pandemic, poor air quality in schools was problematic because it impeded kids' learning and lowered their test scores. But now, faulty HVAC systems are even more concerning since they could facilitate the spread of the coronavirus. 

NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro speaks with former U.S. poet laureate Juan Felipe Herrera about his latest collection, Every Day We Get More Illegal.

During a time of uncertainty, a Duluth woman is hoping to offer some sense of relief and relaxation with a cultural twist. Pelayo is a proud Latina from Mexico who has been teaching yoga for 13 years. This month she is offering 'Bilingual Yoga' classes for the remainder of Hispanic Heritage Month.

Students studying to become teachers at Texas A&M University are helping preK-12 students with their online classes and homework through a new homework helpline launched last week. The Aggie Homework Helpline not only gives university students the opportunity to gain experience teaching and understanding curriculum, but also helps younger students who are struggling with school, especially in the new online format widely adopted during the pandemic. Lessons available to students include read-alouds, mini lessons, guides to skill development, and resources will also support English language learners and students with special needs, university leaders said.

As most of the city’s 1.1 million students started their first full school days online this week, many still lacked proper devices to log on — and may not have them for several weeks, according to parents, advocates and educators.

Newcomer students, those who have been in the U.S. less than a year, are getting the chance to go into school buildings once a week in Aurora, where all students are learning virtually through the first quarter. The Aurora district is planning for students to return part time to school buildings under a hybrid model in mid-October.

Around the country, teachers and school administrators are hoping that a patchwork of plans cobbled together over the summer will help address one of the most pressing challenges they face as millions of students start a new school year online: How to make sure they come to virtual class, and what balance to strike between punitive and forgiving policies if they don't. Data on why students disappear from virtual school is hard to come by, but there are some obvious explanations. Many lack a computer or stable internet; others have to work or care for younger children; some families were evicted and had to move.

What are specific strategies, lessons, and tools that you have used to encourage students to work collaboratively in a socially distanced physical classroom, hybrid, or remote learning environment? Learn some ideas from Jenifer Hitchcock, who teaches 12th grade AP Government at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Va. She has been a member of the iCivics Educator Network since 2017:

Darwin Velasquez is the National Dreamer Coordinator for College Track, a comprehensive college completion program that equips students facing systemic barriers to earn a bachelor's degree in pursuit of a life of opportunity, choice and power. He came to the United States from El Salvador at age 12 and is the first in his family to earn a college degree. In this editorial, he writes, "In the absence of a permanent solution, let’s focus on what we can do for Dreamers today, especially when they are trying to complete their studies, stay safe and support themselves during a global pandemic."