ELL News Headlines
Throughout the week, Colorín Colorado gathers news headlines related to English language learners from around the country. The ELL Headlines are posted Monday through Friday and are available for free!
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Best of 2023: Young Afghan girls are finding ways to keep learning
After the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021, tens of thousands of girls were banned from attending school beyond sixth grade. Many found a way to continue their studies through informal tutoring centers, but those too have come under increased scrutiny as the government continues to crack down on women and girls' access to education. As a group of girls in Kabul have been grappling with all this, they've formed a connection with some other teens half a world away in California. The two sets of students, through meetings on Zoom talking about their lives and goals, formed the Flowers for the Future club, now a branch of the Eileen Murphy Foundation.
Best of 2023: ‘Celebrating Mistakes’ and Other Ways to Help English-Learners
Here’s the latest installment in a series on ways to help ELLs develop more English-speaking skills from Larry Ferlazzo.
Best of 2023: 'Sesame Street' debuts its first Filipino American muppet
The new character, named TJ, made his debut Sunday as part of a segment about showing confidence.
Best of 2023: She teaches recent immigrants. Here’s how she makes her NYC classroom a safe space to learn English.
Elana Rabinowitz is an ESL teacher and coordinator at Middle School 113 The Ronald Edmonds Learning Center in Brooklyn. In recent years, many of her students have been recent arrivals to the United States — children from asylum-seeking families who fled violence and economic hardship. Some of them had been out of school for months or years as they made their way to the U.S. Rabinowitz wants them to feel comfortable sharing their stories and identities. As soon as a new student is placed in her class, Rabinowitz buys a flag from their country of origin. But she wants them to feel at home in New York City, too, so she decorates her classroom with cozy secondhand furniture she finds at stoop sales.
Best of 2023: From English learner to National Bilingual Teacher of the Year
When Sonia Águila was in high school, her school counselor told her she didn’t think college was for her, because she was not fluent in English. It would be better, the counselor said, if she found a job to help her parents.
Best of 2023: This Map Shows How States Describe Their English Learners
The terminology used to describe students in need of English-language support in schools has evolved over time, with the goal of emphasizing multilingualism as an asset.
Best of 2023: The High-Risk Feat of Bringing ‘American Born Chinese’ to TV
For years, Gene Luen Yang was convinced a single character in his groundbreaking graphic novel would doom any attempt at an adaptation. What changed?
Best of 2023: Orange County district pioneers new Korean American studies course for high school
Jeff Kim, a world history teacher in Anaheim Union High School District, had long dreamed about how a Korean American studies course could help his students connect with their heritage. But it was the surge of hatred against Asian Americans during the pandemic that made him realize just how urgently the class was needed.
Best of 2023: Mónica Mancillas' 'How to Speak in Spanglish' embraces in-between space of her culture
There’s been a lot of discussion recently in Arizona about how English language learners are taught to speak English. But a new picture book for kids takes a different approach to that question.
Best of 2023: An Alaska district aligns its school year with traditional subsistence harvests
Seventy miles inland from the Bering Sea, on roadless lands beside the Kuskokwim River, three Yup'ik villages are perfect examples of the educational challenges faced in Alaska. This year, the district was allowed to operate on an academic calendar that's aligned with seasonal subsistence harvests. School leaders spent much of 2022 working to get it approved by the state.