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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Helping a community recover from a school shooting
A community — as well as those outside it — experiences a collective trauma following a major crisis like a mass shooting, Iowa City psychologist Holly Sanger said. Following the shooting at a high school in Perry, Iowa, many students, educators and parents outside of Perry have joined the town in their grief and lost sense of safety.
Iowa principal critically injured in school shooting risked himself to protect students, police say
An Iowa principal critically injured in a school shooting put himself at extra risk by trying to protect students from the teenage shooter, state authorities said Friday.
11-year-old killed in Iowa school shooting was a joyful boy known as ‘Smiley,’ his mother says
Ahmir Jolliff dashed out of his home in Perry Thursday morning, eager to see his friends on the first day back to school after winter break. It was vintage Ahmir — known as “Smiley” around his house — an 11-year-old whirlwind of cheerful activity. He kept a trunk of toys unlocked in the front yard so anyone could play with them, his mother said. He loved soccer, played the tuba and sang in choir. He had a habit of touching people on their shoulder and asking them how their day was.
An advocate for Latino students, this teen is being honored as an emerging leader in Colorado
When Osvaldo Garcia Barron started high school, he was often the only student of color in his advanced classes. He struggled to speak up and wondered if he had anything to contribute. The start of the pandemic interrupted his freshman year of high school. But instead of coming out of it feeling isolated, Garcia Barron came back to school determined. He followed his older sister Paola’s lead in participating in some leadership programs and continued taking advanced classes. When he still struggled to feel a sense of belonging, he realized he probably wasn’t the only one. Garcia Barron restarted the Boulder High School Latino Student Organization where he eventually became president. And he started getting involved in lots of other programs in his school, district, and city, including serving as a board member for the Boulder Valley School District Youth Equity Council and being a mentor in the school’s AVID program, which helps prepare students who are historically underrepresented in higher education for college.
Community college students serve as basic needs support guides for peers
Over 50 community college students in California currently serve as resource guides for peers in need of stable housing, food access and other basic needs.
Oakland Unified Literacy Tutoring Program Shows Promising Early Results, Despite Challenges
Initial findings from a study of a closely watched Oakland Unified School District program that recruits parents and neighbors as tutors show intriguing potential for other lower-income school districts struggling to teach kids to read.
What parents of English learners need to know | Quick Guide
When your child is an English learner, it can be confusing and difficult to understand whether they are progressing normally toward proficiency in the language and what they need to do to be reclassified as fluent and English proficient. Here’s a quick guide to how schools classify students as English learners, what they have to provide for students to help them learn English, what criteria they take into account in reclassifying them as proficient in English, and why reclassification matters.
Sandra Day O’Connor saw civics education as key to the future of democracy
Beyond her trailblazing role as the first woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor considered iCivics – a civics education nonprofit founded after she retired from the court – to be her “most important legacy.”
How to Get Students Talking About Their Learning
It’s always important to go back to the “why” we want students to talk about their learning. When students talk about what they’re learning, it helps them process, clarify, connect, and solidify. If students only read or listen to new content, the level of learning can only go so far. Let’s not forget the critical role that engagement plays in learning. If students aren’t engaged, then save your energy and do something more effective.
How child migrants are put to work in unsafe and illegal conditions
Migrant children in the U.S. are working some of the most dangerous jobs in the country and private auditors assigned to root out unlawful labor practices often overlook child labor. The most common job for migrant children is also one of the most hazardous, roofing and construction, despite laws prohibiting anyone under 18 from doing so.