ELL News Headlines

In her home country of Guatemala, Maribel attended a one-room schoolhouse for two years, but the teacher was often absent, causing class to be canceled. She never learned how to read. The school closed during Covid, and she never returned to class until last year, when she moved to Oakland. Now 11 and enrolled in middle school, she is learning English and at the same time filling gaps in her education — how to read, interpret graphs and acquire other skills she never learned before.

Parents who are immigrants understand the importance of education, but are often labeled as parents who don’t hold their children to high standards, according to Emily Francis, a high school ESL teacher in North Carolina who works with newcomer students. 

On his first day in office, President Trump signed an executive order to end universal birthright citizenship and limit it at birth to people with at least one parent who is a permanent resident or citizen. A federal judge put the order on hold, but if upheld, Trump’s move could upend a 120-year Supreme Court precedent. Stephanie Sy reports on the history and legacy of that case.

A middle school teacher shares her favorite ways to celebrate linguistic diversity, both on International Mother Language Day and year-round.

Young readers of all ages can enjoy the various activities involved with Lunar New Year as they read these titles.

The Trump administration has cleared the way for immigration arrests at or near schools, ending a decades-old approach. Republican and Democratic administrations alike have treated schools and child care centers, along with churches and hospitals, as “sensitive” or “protected” locations where immigration enforcement should only take place when there is an immediate danger to the public. But U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials announced Tuesday afternoon that they had rescinded the latest version of the policy, which was issued in 2021 by the Biden administration.

Now almost two weeks since a series of wildfires broke out around Los Angeles, most school districts have reopened. Three school districts, however, have had lingering closures.

An interdisciplinary gardening unit can strengthen students' sense of belonging and enhance their language skills.

With all 50 states and the District of Columbia now allowing high school graduates to earn a seal that signals their mastery of English and another world language, a new report takes a look at state-by-state data on who’s earning this distinction.

Take a look at this collection of Spanish-language books for kids from School Library Journal.