ELL News Headlines

The numbers are stark and staggering. Nearly a quarter of third graders who aren’t reading at grade level will not graduate from high school by the time they are 19. Once they get beyond the literacy skill-building support of elementary school, those who fail sixth grade English run an 82 percent chance of never graduating. With the negative predictors so clear, we have to talk about teens who are struggling readers: Who are they, what do they need, and how can libraries help them?

On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court dealt a heavy blow to teachers' unions with their ruling in Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Council 31.  The decision set off a firestorm of reaction, including among educators. Some teachers are excited about the prospect of no longer having to pay dues to their union, while others have reiterated their commitment to their union. Here's a sampling of some responses from teachers.

The U.S. Supreme Court has delivered a major blow to teachers' unions, ruling in Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Council 31 that teachers in about half of states do not have to pay "agency" or "shop" fees if they're not union members. Get caught up on the case by reading some of our coverage below.

Ten large tech companies did not employ a single black woman in 2016, according to a new report from The Center for Investigative Reporting. What are the barriers for entry for women in Silicon Valley and the tech world? What are people doing about it?

A federal judge in San Diego on Tuesday barred the separation of migrant children from their parents and required immigration officials to reunify within 30 days families that have been divided as a result of a zero-tolerance policy enforced by the Trump administration.

A Syrian refugee who had been tapped for possible resettlement to the United States says his hopes have been squashed for good by the Supreme Court decision to uphold a Trump administration travel ban for Syria and four other Muslim-majority countries. (See related stories on response to the travel ban among immigrant advocates and Muslim communities.)

Professor Zug teaches Family Law, Advanced Family Law, and American Indian law at the University of South Carolina and has been writing about the impact of the U.S. government's immigration policies on undocumented families for many years. She writes, "One thing few people currently realize —despite reassuring words from the administration— is many of these families will most likely never be reunited… Hundreds of these children have already been sent to state foster care facilities across the country where they have become wards of the state. Their care and custody decisions will be handled first by state welfare agencies and then by a state court. Reunification becomes less likely as the length of separation increases."

Days after a coalition of civil rights and student advocacy groups sued the Boston schools to find out how much information the system shares with federal immigration officials, the outgoing superintendent fired back, challenging what he felt were accusations that the district targets immigrant students. The groups, led by the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice, allege in the lawsuit that the school system and Superintendent Tommy Chang hand over student information to immigration authorities.

NPR's Susan Davis talks with Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha about her new memoir which tells the story of her research that helped expose widespread lead poisoning of Flint, Mich.'s drinking water.

Boston Schools Superintendent Tommy Chang is stepping down two years before the end of his contract after a three-year tenure marked by controversy and a new lawsuit that says the school district has shared student information with federal immigration officials.