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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Washington D.C.'s demand for bilingual workers is booming. Should D.C. schools offer more dual-language programs?

Advocates for bilingual education and District leaders argued Thursday that the Washington region’s workforce has a growing demand for bilingual speakers that could be filled by D.C. public school graduates if the school system boosted its dual-language education programs. The panel discussion featured D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Antwan Wilson, school leaders from Delaware and New York, an economics researcher and the Swiss ambassador to the United States, who highlighted the advantages of bilingualism in Switzerland.

What Can Educators Do to Increase Graduation Rates for English-Learners?

Schools that want to improve the educational prospects for English-language learners should take account of what's happening in their students' lives outside the classroom, a new report from the research arm of America's Promise Alliance finds. "I Came Here to Learn," the report by the Boston-based Center for Promise, sought to find out why the graduation rate for students whose first language isn't English lags behind those of their native English-speaking peers, in Massachusetts and elsewhere. 

Opinion: The Arts Help Refugees, Other Students to Master Academics

Bobby Riley is the principal of Integrated Arts Academy, Burlington, Vermont and the 2016 National Distinguished Principal for Vermont, honored by the National Association of Elementary School Principals. Cheri Sterman is the Director of Education for Crayola and on the Executive Board of the Partnership for 21st Century Learning. In this column, they write, "As more schools across the country experiment with personalized learning approaches to better meet the needs, goals and interests of individual learners, many are overlooking an important piece: arts integration. That’s one reason the Integrated Arts Academy of Burlington, Vermont, got together with Crayola’s art-focused professional learning programs, channeling resources to identify reasons why infusing arts into other subjects can make personalized learning programs more effective. The Academy is a magnet elementary school is located in a U.S. State Department Refugee Resettlement Area that houses families from dozens of nations."

The Idea Was To Keep Kids Safe After School. Now They're Chess Champions

Playing chess is a big deal at Killip Elementary in Flagstaff, AZ. The whole program started as a safe place for kids to come after school — a diversion — but this week dozens of those students are getting ready to head out to Nashville, Tenn., to compete with about 5,000 other young people at the SuperNationals of chess. The competition only happens every four years and the last time the team went, they placed a team at third in the nation.

How Should Schools Respond to the Concerns of Undocumented Families?

School districts around the nation have passed resolutions vowing to do everything they can to protect undocumented students. Now, a University of Missouri researcher examines how individual schools can meet the needs of students and families when the threat of deportation or detainment hit close to home.

How Three Schools Creatively Face the Challenge of Educating Immigrant Students

Schools of Opportunity is the brainchild of Kevin Welner, director of the National Education Policy Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder and a professor specializing in educational policy and law, and Carol Burris, a former award-winning principal in New York who is now executive director of the nonprofit Network for Public Education. It was launched a few years ago to highlight public high schools that actively seek to close opportunity gaps through research-proven practices and not standardized test scores. As described below, three of Silver Schools of Opportunity this past year demonstrate how curriculum and instruction can meet the needs of diverse student populations. Oakland International High School, Ossining High School and Washington Technology Magnet School all have closed opportunity gaps by thoughtfully embracing their students and their communities.

Second Largest School District in U.S. Moves to Protect Undocumented Immigrants from Federal Agents

The Los Angeles Unified School Board — which runs the second largest school system in the country — just toughened its commitment to protect undocumented immigrant students and their families from federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. As cities and towns around the country move to protect immigrant families from federal agents, Los Angeles school board members unanimously passed a new resolution Tuesday that reaffirms that ICE agents will not be allowed to come onto school campuses until the superintendent and district attorneys agree in advance. It also bars district employees from cooperating with ICE on immigration cases.

8 College Scholarships Latinos Can Apply to For the Upcoming School Year

While enrollment in higher education for Latinos continues to grow, the cost of higher education can still prevent some from attending college – or it may push others into taking on onerous loans. By now, many scholarship deadlines have come and gone, but Remezcla.com found eight specifically meant for Latino students that may provide a little bit of relief in the upcoming school year. Some scholarships on the list are available for students regardless of immigration status.

Students at Northwest D.C. High School Gain Confidence Through Sharing Life Stories

Inside a high school theater in Northwest, English as a Second Language students reveal things they don't typically share. The Life Stories program offered by the Theatre Lab provides training in acting, storytelling, writing and directing. At Columbia Heights more than 100 students have benefited from the program. The theatre classes culminate with a stage performance that leaves students changed.

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