ELL News Headlines

Scientists have long posited that there is a "critical period" for language learning, but new research suggests that the time frame stretches on much longer than previously thought. A new study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology suggests that children remain skilled at learning the grammar of a new language up to the age of 17 or 18, the time at which many students graduate high school. This finding injects new evidence for the decades-long debate over the "critical period" that had centered on whether the decline in language-learning skills begins at age 5 or at the onset of puberty.

A federal judge's ruling on the future of DACA could open the door for tens of thousands of undocumented high school-age students to be protected from deportation. Handed down last week, the court's ruling is the third that ensures DACA will remain in effect for recipients after a March 5 deadline originally set by the Trump administration.

Last summer, library media specialist Heather Cory went to the public library nearest her school, but she didn't see any of her Midwest City (OK) Elementary School students. She then drove past her school and the adjacent park, which are within walking distance for many of the kids. She found them at the Splash Pad, a park water play area.

Monday, April 30 is El día de los niños/El día de los libros, also known as Children’s Day/Book Day or Día! Día is a national library program that “fosters literacy for all children from all backgrounds.” It aims to help meet the needs of an increasingly diverse population and promote understanding and acceptance. This specific day of celebration highlights the program designed to “celebrate a variety of cultures every day, year-round.” Día events are planned at schools and libraries around the country. For educators looking for ideas, the American Library Association has free downloads of booklists, planning kits, coloring sheets, and more. This year, the Library of Congress is presenting a free interactive video conference and livestream for public librarians, school librarians, and K–12 teachers from around the country.

Only 5 states have policies in place for strong, bilingual public pre-K programs, which greatly benefit children, especially from low-income families.

Students in the Los Angeles Unified School District who are still learning English are becoming proficient in their new language at record levels.  20.7 percent of their students who began the school year as English learners will end the year having been designated as "fluent-English-proficient" — a record high "reclassification" rate, as the state's largest school district recently announced.

Two Providence legislators have proposed a bill to add a position at the Rhode Island Department of Education to coordinate and promote the creation of more dual-language programs in public schools, which the sponsors say boost overall academic proficiency as well as language skills

A bill allowing students learning English to spend just two hours a day in language-development classes, rather than four, has been resurrected from its seeming death at the Arizona Capitol — after the sponsor promised to water it down. The bill was resurrected after the sponsor promised to water it down.

Before Hurricane Maria, the Hartford school system was dealing with budget cuts and a bottleneck of needs — then came the arrival of nearly 450 Puerto Rican students who survived the storm. A quarter of those new arrivals are in high school, and educators say they could use some extra help.

It starts with a character for Erin Entrada Kelly. One character begets another and a novel is born. The 2018 Newbery Medal winner doesn’t find her creative process particularly inspired. In fact, that initial protagonist tends to come to life in her car. "It's almost always when I'm driving," Kelly says. "I wish I could say I had a dream and it was some kind of magic, but it's not."