ELL News Headlines

Author and illustrator Jerry Craft, who won a Newbery Medal for his graphic novel The New Kid, had never been to Africa. The New York City native had also never visited a school outside of the United States. So he had no clue what to expect from students when he arrived at Nyaani Primary School in the rural Kenyan village of Wamunyu in July. "They were singing and dancing. And then we all stood up one by one and they gave us Swahili names," says Craft, who was dubbed "Nyeusi," which means "Black." It was quite the introduction for Craft and the rest of the literacy team assembled by his buddy Kwame Alexander, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of 39 books, including Newbery Medal-winner The Undefeated.

New York City’s school bus workers have reached a tentative contract agreement with bus companies servicing thousands of routes — meaning a majority of families who could have been impacted by a strike will see uninterrupted bus services.

As National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, Meg Medina is making history as the first to hold office hours. The Newbery-winning author is launching Meet Meg Medina: Family Office Hours with the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, an opportunity for DC-area families to speak with her for 20 minutes at the Library of Congress. In each session, children, teens, and family members can talk about their favorite books and ask questions about writing. Medina will share her favorite Library of Congress resources as well as book recommendations connected to a child’s interests.

Today’s posts wraps up a three-part series on English-language learners and math instruction.

The READ Act, passed by the Minnesota legislature, mandates that school districts switch to a literacy approach that emphasizes the science of reading. But it didn’t focus on the experiences or needs of multilingual learners. Sahan Journal checked in with schools that serve immigrant communities to see how the new approach may work.

On a hot morning in Lahaina a few weeks after the wildfires, some 500 parents, teachers and students gathered under an outdoor tent, spilling onto the lawn. Keith Hayashi — superintendent for Hawaii public schools — faced a tough crowd as he tried to reassure parents that the Department of Education (DOE) will make the right calls when it comes to reopening schools.

Porterville is a predominantly Hispanic working-class town in the Central Valley of California, where environmental hazards include some of the worst air quality in the state; the past year’s torrential rains that inundated hundreds of acres of farmland; and a heat wave that pushed temperatures past 110 degrees Fahrenheit this July. But Porterville has this going for it: Its school district pioneered a partnership with Climate Action Pathways for Schools, or CAPS, a nonprofit that aims to help high school students become more environmentally aware while simultaneously lowering their school’s carbon footprint and earning wages.

A few years ago, on a visit to our shared campus library, a wonderful high school teacher we know was there with one of his classes. Asked what his students were doing in the library, he replied “Just reading.” Giving kids the time and space to read books of their choosing during the school day shouldn’t be a radical act. But it can feel like one. Teachers wonder: What if students aren’t reading? How do I grade reading? Would this time be better spent preparing them for an upcoming assessment?

As high school students navigate more rigorous academic tasks and denser curricular material, the occasional 3-to-5-minute break delivers a wide range of benefits.