Teachers who work with English as a Second Language learners will find ESL/ESOL/ELL/EFL reading/writing skill-building children's books, stories, activities, ideas, strategies to help PreK-3, 4-8, and 9-12 students learn to read.
English Language Learners and Policy
This section from Colorín Colorado offers a selection of resources related to policy issues that affect English language learners (ELLs) around the country, from the local to federal level. Resources include news updates, reports, guiding documents, and online video interviews with experts.
News
ELL Policy Survey
In September 2011, Colorín Colorado launched an informal ELL policy survey online. Take a look at some highlights from the survey results!
ELL policy headlines
These headlines compiled by Colorín Colorado focus on policy news related to ELLs, from the local to federal level. For additional ELL news, take a look at our ELL news section!
Education Week: Learning the Language
This blog from Education Week offers discussion of policy questions affecting ELLs, including the Common Core State Standards, immigration, and STEM initiatives.
Latino Ed Beat
Latino Ed Beat, the home of New Journalism for Latino Children (NJLC), features blogs posts, reports, and research about Latino students and research about education issues affecting them. Stories are compiled by writer Maureen Kelleher Figueroa and journalist Monica Rhor. NJLC is based at the Institute of Human Development at the University of California, Berkeley, in collaboration with the Education Writers Association and the Latino Policy Forum.
Common Core State Standards and ELLs
The Common Core State Standards Initiative is a state-led effort to establish a single set of clear educational standards for English Language Arts and Mathematics that states can share and voluntarily adopt. Learn more about the guidelines that the authors of the CCSS have written in relation to English language learners, as well as the recommendations that experts have put forth regarding the implementation of the CCSS for ELLs in this resource section!
Video
Bobbi Houtchens
Bobbi Houtchens is an ELL educator with more than 40 years of experience teaching secondary ESL and English. Ms. Houtchens served as a teaching ambassador fellow at the U.S. Department of Education during 2009-2010. In this interview, Ms. Houtchens discusses the importance of engaging teachers in educational policy discusions.
Dr. Thelma Meléndez
Dr. Thelma Meléndez de Santa Ana is the Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education at the U.S. Department of Education. In this exclusive video interview, Dr. Meléndez remembers her experiences as an English language learner growing up in California and discusses how that perspective has shaped her career as an educator and policymaker.
Reports
ESEA Recommendations for ELLs: Questions and Answers
This document is a supplement to the 2010 recommendations prepared by the Working Group on ELL Policy for the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The Working Group addresses five areas of ESEA: identification and classification of ELL students; development of a stronger accountability system that fosters and accurately monitors improvement for these students; appropriate assessment of ELLs' knowledge and skills in academic content; human capital policies to ensure access to high-quality teachers and teaching; and the capacity-building role of Title III. This document answers questions likely to arise from the group's recommendations.
Investing in Our Next Generation
In June 2010, Grantmakers for Education (GFE) convened funders, researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to examine the role of philanthropy in supporting ELL students' success. Recognizing that no single solution or short-term effort can adequately address this diverse and growing population, funders acknowledged the need for comprehensive, long-term commitments around ELL issues. This funder's brief summarizes key themes from the gathering, including strategies for making ELL success a priority for philanthropy and for supporting research, communications, and policy engagement around ELL support and instruction.
Grantmakers for Education. Investing in Our Next Generation: A Funder's Guide to Addressing the Educational Opportunities and Challenges Facing English Language Learners. (2010).
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I teach kindergarten to Spanish-speaking students and have very much liked your materials.
~ Amy S., Boston Public Schools
