ELL News Headlines

On Thursday, Fred Rogers Productions started a channel dedicated to the beloved children’s host. Eventually it will be a repository for full episodes, behind-the-scenes footage and compilations.

The numbers of English-learner newcomer students are down across the country. What should schools do about this enrollment decline? Larry Ferlazzo suggests that schools should recognize that this trend is likely to change in the next few years and that they take this opportunity to support their many long-term English learners, who are often given short shrift.

In Winooski, Vermont, where more than a third of children are English learners, a school superintendent has invested in protecting immigrant students even as one of his own was detained.

Officials say the tech can help ensure names are pronounced correctly and speed up ceremonies, but some parents and students are pushing back.

What opportunities could a generation of students potentially lose when technology does the hard work for them? The celebrated author shares his thoughts on the hidden price of convenience.

Shrey Parikh felt his body shake from nerves and doubts every time he walked to the microphone at the Scripps National Spelling Bee, the final test of a six-year competitive spelling career marked by triumph and heartbreak that he knew could end at any moment.

For the second consecutive year, Tennessee legislators failed in their efforts to limit undocumented students’ access to free, public education during the legislative session.

The effects of artificial intelligence on learning are still largely unclear. But a new NPR/Ipsos poll of K-12 teachers found that nearly 3-in-4 believe AI has bigger implications for education than past innovations like the internet or computers.

Most teachers use artificial intelligence, but relatively few — just 18 percent — have received any formal guidance on how to use it, according to a new poll from the Walton Family Foundation and Gallup. "We are at a crossroads that will define the future of work and society," American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten said about technology during a public address this week. The federation, a 1.8 million-member union, is calling for a ban on screens for children through second grade, an end to student-facing AI in elementary school and rules to prevent students under 16 from using chatbots that behave like humans.

The Virginia Dual Language Educators Network (VADLEN) has named Nancy Davila, a Dual Language Immersion (DLI) teacher at Featherstone Elementary School, the Virginia Dual Language Immersion Teacher of the Year. With more than 30 years in education, Davila’s career reflects a deep and evolving dedication to language learning. She began as a monolingual classroom teacher before transitioning into language instruction as an elementary school foreign language teacher and later a secondary Spanish teacher. "I watched my kindergarten English learners shine because I was speaking their native language," Davila shared. "They no longer had to give up their language or identity to succeed. Instead, they were able to learn in their home language while also becoming proficient in a second language."

Editor's Note: We'd also like to extend our warmest congratulations to Ms. Davila, who taught one our own kiddos in kindergarten! She is a true testament to the teaching and the power of learning in two languages.