ELL News Headlines

Book sales are soaring among teenagers and young adults nationally. So, the Burlington Public Library is targeting young readers with improved facilities and programs. The library has remodeled and expanded an area designed for young readers, and programming has been introduced to offer teens everything from yoga to cooking classes.

On a sunny day in early November, teacher Trish Curran wasn’t corralling elementary phys ed students as she normally would be. Instead, she was educating her colleagues at Taos Municipal Schools on the benefits of walking. Technically, it was a normal districtwide professional development day: one without students, where school staff members are expected to come and learn something new, refine existing skills or plan upcoming lessons. But with teachers and custodians walking the track together in one session, and counselors and administrators learning about homeopathic remedies side by side in another, it was obvious that this had little in common with traditional professional development days.

This webinar illuminates the challenges English learners have experienced over the last two years. Speakers describe state- and district-level efforts to help ELs re-engage in high school, recover academically, and address mental health needs. Participants also hear the results of new research on the postsecondary aspirations of immigrant-background Latina/o students and how the pandemic may have helped shape their decisionmaking.

In this question of the week, educators respond to the following: "What are the most important lessons you have learned from your students?"

In a school district comprised of almost 30 percent Latinx students, Poughkeepsie City School District offers no bilingual education program to support its Spanish-speaking students, a violation of state regulations.

A bipartisan group led by two former governors is urging President Biden to help an estimated 167,000 children who have lost parents or caregivers.

Elected school board members make decisions that impact every aspect of a student’s education. Though Latino students make up a quarter of America’s student body, most school boards have no Latino representation.

Decatur students in the bilingual/ESL/dual-language program juggle English and Spanish in and out of the classroom. While the languages carry many similarities, one sound that transcends language is the ding of a bell at spelling bees. Next week 61 elementary students will compete to see who can avoid the ding the longest at a districtwide bilingual spelling bee Dec. 16 at Rann Elementary.

Fontana Unified School District will offer Spanish dual-language immersion (DLI) instruction at Sequoia Middle School in 2022-23, providing a continuum of learning that fosters bilingualism, biliteracy and sociocultural competency while preparing students for success in college and career.

When it comes to early childhood education, child’s play may well be serious business. Fun and games bring more than just joy. They may be the key to helping children thrive in tough times, experts say. Since young children don’t often have an opportunity to exercise choice and control, free play can be a liberating experience, nurturing independence and relieving stress. A growing body of research is making the case for play as a way to boost the well-being of young children as the pandemic drags on and concerns over learning loss and mental health issues escalate.