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!
Get these headlines sent to you weekly!
To receive our free weekly newsletter of the week's stories, sign up on our Newsletters page. You can also embed our ELL News Widget.
Note: These links may expire after a week or so, and some websites require you to register first before seeing an article. Colorín Colorado does not necessarily endorse these views or any others on these outside web sites.
Time to Expand Foreign Language Opportunities, Says Iowa State Professor
Getting back into the classroom after spending the summer in Spain with a group of Iowa State University students always reinforces for Chad Gasta the benefits of a language immersion program. Gasta, a professor and chair of world languages and cultures, co-directs "ISU on the Mediterranean," Iowa State's largest study abroad program, which offers courses and research opportunities in Spanish, engineering, business and biology. To make it a truly immersive experience, classes are taught in Spanish and English, and students live with host families during their six weeks in Spain. Gasta says it makes for some interesting translations initially, but students welcome the opportunity to interact and communicate with native speakers.
School Closings From Harvey Threaten Disruption Across Texas
On what was supposed to be the first day of school in some Texas districts, the state with the nation's second-largest K-12 student population was in educational crisis Monday, with hundreds of thousands of families reeling from the effects of Hurricane Harvey. Teachers, students and parents were unsure when classes would be in session, and who, exactly, would be reporting to which schools, when opening bells finally ring.
More Than Half of Hispanic High School Students Take Advanced Placement Courses at Utah High School
More Latino students at Utah's Park City High School are better prepared for college thanks to a popular summer school program. Reporter Carolyn Murray has more.
Teacher Shortages Affecting Every State as 2017-18 School Year Begins
The 2017-18 school year has started in many places across the country, and federal data shows that every state is dealing with shortages of teachers in key subject areas. Some are having trouble finding substitute teachers, too.
UNM Study to Look Into English Language Learners' Struggles with Math
The outcome of a new study being conducted by a local researcher at UNM could eventually help teachers better instruct students who struggle with math – specifically, those students who learned English as a second language.
Reading, Writing and Refugees
Here is a guide to some of the new and forthcoming children's books about Muslim refugees, ranging from picture books for toddlers and early readers to young adult novels.
It began with a refugee Thanksgiving. Then she launched a program to pair newly arrived families with U.S. mentors.
It all started with a Thanksgiving dinner last November, when Sloane Davidson hosted a family of Syrian refugees to share in the great American tradition of roast turkey, cranberry sauce, and pecan pie. The two families kept in touch, and soon Davidson invited them to more of her family gatherings. That friendship has now grown into something bigger: Hello Neighbor, a mentorship program that matches American families with refugee and immigrant families who have recently arrived in the United States.
Racial Discrimination Was Behind Ethnic-Studies Courses Ban, Judge Rules
A federal judge has ruled that Arizona's ban on ethnic studies courses was motivated by racial discrimination. The state violated students' constitutional rights "because both enactment and enforcement were motivated by racial animus," Judge A. Wallace Tashima wrote in a ruling issued Tuesday.
In Their Words: English Learners Share Their Stories About School
Every school day just over 80,000 foreign-speaking students show up for school throughout Connecticut That’s one in seven students. As part of its recent exploration of issues surrounding English-language learners, the Connecticut Mirror wanted to hear what these students feel is helping them. Here are a few of their stories.
La Paz Chattanooga Helps Hispanic Students Enroll for School
Chattanooga helped recruit and train over 75 bilingual volunteers to work with 14 Hamilton County public schools during the county-wide school registration day. Volunteers requested time off from their employers to help Chattanooga's Latino and Hispanic students enroll in school for the upcoming academic year.