ELL News Headlines

In Lexington, Nebraska, where two-thirds of residents are Hispanic, hundreds of children lack access to high-quality child care from providers who can communicate with their parents. Something had to change.

Author Pedro Martín hopes to connect with all audiences who can remember being stuck on a classic family road trip in his graphic memoir, "Mexikid." His book won the Pura Belpré Author and Illustrator Awards, as well as a Newbery Honor Award.

Over the past two years, K-12 teacher apprenticeship programs have been registered in 34 states and Puerto Rico. While many of these programs are in early stages, this moment offers an opportunity to develop approaches that both address specific teacher workforce needs and that align with changing student demographics.

Dr. Sophia Rodriguez writes, "For the past 15 years, I have worked as a teacher, coach, and then ethnographer and education policy researcher to try to understand how newcomer immigrant students experience their schools and communities. In my research roles, I have interviewed hundreds of immigrant youth, and I have learned of their everyday realities, their enduring hope, and their struggle for belonging in the U.S."

Years ago, the Beaverton school district in Oregon participated in a study to determine the right models for improving English learners’ academic achievement. The results, which came out in 2019, pointed to two promising models, especially for the elementary grades: dual-language immersion, in which students learn in both English and another language, and an integrated, collaborative model, such as when a content-area and English-language-development teacher work side by side in the same classroom, ensuring English learners are exposed to grade-level academic content and vocabulary.

The trailer at Colfax Elementary is one of Denver Public Schools’ six “community hubs,” and the English language classes are among the most popular offerings. Launched in 2022 by Superintendent Alex Marrero, the community hubs were meant to take a two-generation approach to improving students’ lives by helping both children and parents with everything from food and clothing to financial counseling and mobile medical appointments. Now, as more than 3,500 migrant students have enrolled in DPS since the beginning of the school year, the hubs are increasingly serving their families as they build new lives in Denver.

Guiding students to develop ‘scientist voices’ helps them feel more connected to and engaged with science curriculum.

The thing about Meg Medina? Not content to rest on her laurels, this one. This year she has another picture book coming out called No More Señora Mimí. Sweet and sad and unique, Medina taps into that very real moment when a child realizes that they're losing their beloved babysitter thanks to the arrival of a beloved grandmother. Bittersweet, it's a lovely book deserving of an in-depth interview.

As an English as a Second Language specialist at her Tennessee school and a long-time member of her rural Appalachian community, Missy Testerman often finds herself straddling two worlds, trying to bridge the divide. That could mean anything from accompanying a student and his mother to get a refill for epilepsy medication, to showing the staff at the local courthouse how to use a translation app so they can communicate with immigrant families.

Additional headlines include the following:

• Video: Missy Testerman, a teacher for over 30 years, is the National Teacher of the Year (CBS News)
• Video: First lady Jill Biden surprises National Teacher of the Year, Missy Testerman (CBS News)
• In rural Tennessee, the National Teacher of the Year helps diverse students and their families thrive (WPLN)
• Missy Testerman Makes Immigrant Students Feel Welcome. She’s the National Teacher of the Year (Education Week)
• Meet the National Teacher of the Year: Missy Testerman (CCSSO)

When Osvaldo Garcia Barron started high school, he was often the only student of color in his advanced classes. He struggled to speak up and wondered if he had anything to contribute. The start of the pandemic interrupted his freshman year of high school. But instead of coming out of it feeling isolated, Garcia Barron came back to school determined. He followed his older sister Paola’s lead in participating in some leadership programs and continued taking advanced classes. When he still struggled to feel a sense of belonging, he realized he probably wasn’t the only one. Garcia Barron restarted the Boulder High School Latino Student Organization where he eventually became president. And he started getting involved in lots of other programs in his school, district, and city, including serving as a board member for the Boulder Valley School District Youth Equity Council and being a mentor in the school’s AVID program, which helps prepare students who are historically underrepresented in higher education for college.