ELL News Headlines

Congress approved funding dedicated to English learners in the fiscal 2026 federal budget, but failed to increase the program’s total allocation even as the student population continues to grow, and costs associated with educating them rise.

Kindness toward others is often taught in elementary school, but it’s also important for students to extend it to themselves.

California colleges are looking for answers about the status of a federal grant program serving colleges that enroll many Hispanic students, amid mixed messages from Congress and the Trump administration.

Elementary teachers nationwide say they’re seeing the same trend: worsening — and increasingly severe — behavior problems in young children. Students are more disruptive. They sometimes lash out physically at classmates and teachers. They’re more defiant. It’s pushing many teachers and schools to try new methods to bring classrooms under control, with districts and states sharply divided over the right approach.

School leaders serving immigrant students and families have long prepared for the possibility of needing to arrange care for a student in the event that federal immigration agents detain parents or guardians. But advocates say more school leaders are now actively seeking guidance as immigration enforcement increases in communities across the country.

TESOL International Association (TESOL) is pleased to announce Rashad Ahmed as the recipient of the 2026 TESOL Teacher of the Year Award, which recognizes exceptional English language teaching at all levels. Ahmed will be formally honored at the TESOL 2026 International Convention & Expo, March 24-27, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Immigrants who came to the U.S. as refugees could be detained after a year of arriving here under a new policy from the Department of Homeland Security.

Last week, White House border czar Tom Homan announced the end of the sweeping immigration crackdown in Minnesota. Despite some signs of a slowdown, parts of the state continue to see a presence of federal agents. Beleaguered Twin Cities communities are grappling with what comes next, and schools may face the longest road back to normal. Special correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro reports.

When astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin first rocketed into space and walked on the moon in July 1969, school-age children could only imagine what the experience was like. Today, as NASA astronauts prepare to make the first crewed mission around the moon since Apollo 17 nearly 50 years ago in 1972, kids won’t be left to simply wonder. Students now can watch as NASA astronauts at the International Space Station answer prerecorded questions from kids about living and working in space via NASA’s YouTube channel.

Feb. 17 marked the start of the 2026 Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival. In 1858, San Francisco established California’s first public school for Chinese immigrant children. Here’s a snapshot of key data about California students who speak a Chinese language at home, attend a Chinese-language immersion school or students from China who attend California public universities. Happy New Year! (新春快乐,马年大吉!)