ELL News Headlines

Engy Gadelmawla is a Facing History and Ourselves alumna and member of its NextGeneration group. A 2018 graduate of Drew University, she now works as a legal and compliance analyst at a private equity firm in New York. In this column, she writes, "Young people need safe spaces to learn about history through different perspectives, explore how moments from the past influence the present and understand how our own identities take shape with our learning. It is through such experiences that young people can develop the agency to stand up for what they believe in."

Norma Pimentel, a sister of the Missionaries of Jesus, is director of Catholic Charities for the Rio Grande Valley. In this editorial, she writes, "Every day of the year, from morning to evening, families coming over the border are welcomed at our center with smiles, a warm bowl of soup, a shower and a place to rest. Most families are exhausted and afraid, carrying little more than a few belongings in a plastic bag. They come in all forms and at all ages. Few speak any English. Most are in great need of help. Some days, we see 20 people. Other days, it's closer to 300. In recent weeks, it has been very busy. Some stay a few hours, but many spend the night before heading on to new destinations. Since we opened, more than 100,000 have come through our doors."

A bipartisan group of lawmakers in Wisconsin is recommending increasing funding for public schools and allowing districts to raise money through local property taxes. The recommendations would change how school districts could raise funds for English-language learners, those with developmental disabilities and those coming from low-income families.

School systems in the Washington, DC region are taking steps to make sure children of federal workers have lunch provided at school. Day-care centers in federal buildings remain closed, forcing parents to scramble for alternatives. And a small kindergarten operating out of the Smithsonian’s Museum of Natural History may have to close for the year if the government isn’t reopened soon.

Youth sports have long provided an avenue for kids frommodest beginnings to get ahead — to dream about playing in college, the attentionof scouts, even a shot at a professional career. Jhonny Theze, an 18-year-old Haitian immigrant and talented soccer player in the Bronx, holds these same dreams, and a local sports program has bolstered his chance to attend college. It has also provided him with something more fundamental: the legal right to live permanently in the United States.

Schools in the United States are embracing bilingualism like never before. Shifting demographics and political dynamics have transformed views on multilingual education in many parts of the country, paving the way for a focused examination of educating the nation's 5 million K-12 English-language learners and the importance of foreign-language instruction. The spread of the "seal of biliteracy"—a seal affixed to the diplomas or transcripts as official proof that students can speak, read, and write in more than one language—raises a question: Bilingualism for whom?

Ongoing disruptions at the Internal Revenue Service are hindering college students from receiving federal student loans and grants, university administrators say, though federal officials deny it is related to the partial government shutdown. The disruptions, which make it harder for some families to provide proof of their income, could block Pell grants, student loans, parent PLUS loans and other forms of federal financial aid from reaching students. The problems potentially could prevent them from enrolling in spring classes or selecting an affordable school for the coming academic year, according to aid experts.

More than two dozen Lakota school teachers volunteered to end their holiday break early by taking classes to help them better use learning technology in their classrooms. Helen Vassiliou, an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher at Adena Elementary, said the instruction in new ways to incorporate digital teaching and learning in classrooms allows new ways "to showcase what students can do."

"We can transform their learning and this is a perfect opportunity … to build engagement and critical thinking," said Vassiliou. "I have to do better for the kids I work with."

The 116th U.S. Congress is more diverse than ever before, with a historic wave of women of color taking office. While much of the national spotlight has been on the youngest woman to serve in Congress, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from New York, there is also a former history teacher who has made history with her election: Rep. Jahana Hayes. Hayes, the 2016 National Teacher of the Year, taught high school for over a decade. A Democrat, she is the first black woman from Connecticut to serve in Congress. 

Though the holiday traditions of Three Kings Day vary among cultures and nationalities, many Latino families across the U.S. are maintaining a tradition popular in Spain and Latin American countries.