ELL News Headlines

More than a year after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, plunging the nation into a humanitarian crisis in which girls have been forced from school and women from the workforce, thousands of young refugees who’ve fled the beleaguered nation are thriving inside American classrooms. Roughly 85,000 Afghan nationals have arrived in the United States as part of Operation Allies Welcome, President Joe Biden’s August 2021 initiative to aid those who worked alongside American military personnel and who were forced to escape after the U.S.’s chaotic pullout. It’s unclear how many of these refugees are school-aged but 44% of those held at U.S. military bases upon arrival last year were children — and more are en route, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

The M.S. in Environmental Science program at the UTSA College of Sciences and the UTSA Master of Social Work program in the College for Health, Community and Policy were recently named finalists in the graduate category for the 2022 Examples of Excelencia program by Excelencia in Education.

Fueled by her own childhood experience as an English language learner, a Milwaukee medical school student is collecting donations of books for newly arrived Afghan children.

State Superintendent Chris Reykdal announced Aug. 25 that he would be looking to expand dual-language education programs across Washington state in a push to build bilingualism in the state.

No matter whether their first language was Spanish, Japanese, Ukrainian or something else, the students on stage at Coulter Grove Intermediate School and family members in the audience understood the significance of the celebration Tuesday, Aug. 30, marking the children’s success in learning English.

Students learn new skills each day, such as how to read and write, solve problems, and resolve conflicts. Through the process, they evolve as critical thinkers. But it’s also important to model social and emotional skills and dispositions like compassion, social awareness, and civic responsibility.

As the flooding in Jackson, Mississippi, continues to upend the lives of tens of thousands of residents, the city’s youngest are struggling to continue their schooling.

The teacher shortage has struck most districts in California, but an EdSource survey shows that the impacts are nuanced, uneven — and sometimes inequitable. Even within the same district, some schools — particularly those in wealthier neighborhoods — experienced less teacher turnover and were more likely to start the school year with a full staff.

It's that time of year again, as students and parents celebrate with back to school festivals and prepare for the year ahead. On the warm Saturday last weekend in Washington, D.C., parents stood in line for free backpacks, live music filled the air, and people indulged in shaved ice. But Penelope Marlett, 5, had a different idea on how to celebrate. "I'm just drawing a duck," she said as she filled in the outline of her picture with a fresh piece of bright pink chalk. Penelope was taking part in Chalk Walk, an event organized by Positive Chalk and Chalk Riot.

Dual-language immersion programs, which teach all students in English and another language, are so much in demand that some school districts have been able to stop declining enrollment or even grow enrollment in a school by beginning a dual-language program. Research has shown that these programs are beneficial for both English learners and native English speakers.