ELL News Headlines

Students are often attuned to current events and world affairs. Debating topics relevant to the news can be a high-interest way to engage English language learners in academic discourse that matters to them while building language skills. Structured debate also gives students opportunities to disagree politely without attacking individuals for their opinions -- a useful life skill.

A bill that would allow students learning English to spend two hours of their school day focusing solely on learning the language, rather than four hours, appears to be dead at the State Capitol. The bill has support from a diverse coalition of business and education groups, including the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Arizona Education Association, the Arizona Charter School Association and the Arizona School Board Association, which say the change would help improve the dismal outcome for Arizona's English-language learners. However, Arizona Senate President Steve Yarbrough has single-handedly stalled the bill. The Arizona Capitol Times reported Monday that Yarbrough said he will likely not allow HB 2435 to have a hearing in the Senate Rules Committee, which he chairs.

A new working paper released by the National Bureau of Economic Research argues that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program had a "significant impact" on the educational and life decisions of undocumented immigrant youth, resulting in a 45 percent decrease in teen birth rates, a 15 percent increase in high school graduation rates and a 20 percent increase in college enrollment rates. The researchers found differential effects by gender, with most of the gains in college enrollment concentrated among women. For men alone, the effect of DACA on college enrollment was not statistically significant.

One of the challenges of working with newcomer English language learners who have only basic English skills is keeping content on grade level. At the ENLACE Academy for newcomers at Lawrence High School in Massachusetts, teachers have found that the structures of Model United Nations offer a good way to get students discussing a grade-level topic with materials that support language acquisition.

The Guardian Teacher Network went in search for inventive ways to get students excited about reading and writing. Here's their round-up.

As teachers across the country are walking out recently in a fight for higher pay and better school funding, librarians are fighting to keep their jobs. From Oakland to Dallas to Scranton, PA, and in large and small towns across the United States, school librarian positions are being eliminated at an alarming rate. When the jobs are cut, it is difficult to know what to do. Emotions are running high and fighting seems futile. Besides, says Elissa Malespina, it’s against the nature of most librarians to cause trouble. But that stereotype must be shed when necessary and Malespina did just that.

The Every Student Succeeds Act becomes a working reality in district central offices and schools this fall. But it's unclear if the law, which passed in a haze of rare bipartisanship more than two years ago, will live up to its promise.

Federal authorities recently swept through a meatpacking plant in Eastern Tennessee, rounding up nearly 100 people they accused of being in the United States illegally. Immigrant rights groups say last week's operation in eastern Tennessee was the largest workplace immigration raid in a decade. More than 500 students stayed home from school the next day. Now, a week later, most are back in class. But the community is still reeling, teachers say.

In August, Ruben Alonzo will open Excelencia Charter Academy. The elementary school will start with 120 seats for transitional K-1st grade, with an innovative teaching model for English learners. It will grow to serve grades K-5th grade. Alonzo said his vision for Excelencia grew out of his own experience, working hard in the Texas fields during summers and excelling in school the rest of the year.

Teachers and students may feel like they are limping across the finish line at the end of the school year. During the last quarter, when testing is finished and spring is in the air, teachers and students can be tempted to go on cruise control. However, this attitude can result in a loss of valuable learning and practice time, especially for English-language learners who benefit from as many language-learning opportunities as possible.