ELL News Headlines

For October, we introduce you to a kindergarten teacher in Arlington who is going above and beyond to make sure her students get a quality education. For more than 20 years, Mrs. Silvia Campos-Ortiz has made it her goal to give her young students she calls her children the tools they need for a better future. Campos-Ortiz says she has a special bond with each one of her kindergartners. She teaches them English as a second language at Veda Knox Elementary in Arlington. She says kindergarten is the base of their learning foundation.

It generally takes until preschool age for children to understand that a word like "four" represents a set, but new research from Johns Hopkins University suggests infants understand the concept of counting years earlier.

Native Americans made fry bread by turning government rations turned into a delicious, warm food that brings people together. Fry bread is the subject of a new children's book.

In Kissimmee, Florida, a team of students, who are English Language Learners (ELLs) are writing their coming to America stories. Even students who were born and raised in America have stories of struggles, hardships and triumphs that can serve as inspiration for others. As students embark on the journey of writing and publishing their stories in a book, other new, incoming students can see themselves in the stories and can learn to write their own coming to America stories. 

A $30,000 grant from the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction is continuing to fund a scholarship program to help Walla Walla Public Schools' classified staff and high school seniors pursue careers in bilingual education.

The availability of resources for immigrants is very limited, especially in Missouri. Since 2017, data shows that four percent of the state's residents are immigrants and this community continues to grow. As this rate increases, the children of incoming immigrants are faced with having to assimilate into the US in order to thrive in this new environment. One program that recognizes this issue has been offering ESL services to the immigrant community since 2000 in Columbia, Missouri.

A report released this week by the Kaiser Family Foundation illustrates how immigration policy changes at the federal level are affecting an increasing number of families, some of whom are disenrolling themselves and their children from California's Medicaid program and not renewing or not enrolling in other programs, even though they are eligible and not directly affected by the policy changes. Experts are worried about long-term health effects.

Diana Tibaduiza migrated to Reno from Colombia in the early 2000's. Her early years in the states exposed her to a life of bullying and trauma as a young Latina learning English. Now, she's raising two first-generation American children who are currently enrolled in the Washoe County School District. KUNR's Stephanie Serrano spoke to Diana about how her hardships and culture shock shaped her motherhood.

More than 300,000 public school students prepared to return to school as Chicago leaders on Thursday announced an end to an acrimonious teachers' strike that lasted 11 days, the longest here in decades, and turned life upside down for families across the nation's third-largest school district.

A third-grade teacher from Anne Arundel County credited with forging strong connections with students and colleagues has been named the 2020 Maryland Teacher of the Year. Teresa Beilstein, a teacher at South Shore Elementary School in Crownsville, won the top honor Friday night, with state officials announcing her selection at a crowded gala in Baltimore. Of her approach, she said she believes in "being present" with her students and helping each to feel valued as an important voice. "Once they recognize the power of their voice, they start to believe in their potential," she said.