ELL News Headlines

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.

What have we been conditioned to think an effective classroom looks like? For many, it’s a vision that includes tables of students sitting quietly, working diligently as the teacher walks around or pulls small groups. But when I reflect back on my own childhood and on what I’ve learned in my career as a paraprofessional, it’s clear that the most effective classrooms aren’t necessarily the ones that are most quiet or still, but the ones that prioritize relationships and community building.

Nikki Corbett was desperate. The mother and small business owner had searched online and in stores near her home in Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula, but she could not find any books to teach her young children the Yup’ik language.

In her recent book, Partnering with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Families in Special Education, Kristin Vogel-Campbell notes the difficulties that parents of students with disabilities face when there is a language barrier. Vogel-Campbell, a 20-year veteran of special education, has seen a higher level of agency, access and knowledge of the special education system among white and English-speaking parents of children with disabilities.

In Wisconsin, certified early care providers and early childhood educators are required to complete annual continuing education through the Wisconsin Registry. For many, it can be a challenge to find budget-friendly courses that fit into their schedules. To help bridge the gap between accessibility and high-quality professional learning, PBS Wisconsin Education offers free PBS KIDS self-paced learning courses through the Wisconsin Registry. Since October 2022, educators and providers have earned more than 2,700 registry credits. Courses cover topics including social and emotional development, literacy and science.

When Lily Gladstone became the first Indigenous person to win a best actress Golden Globe, she said some words in Blackfeet. Her mother was behind efforts to get the language taught in classes.

A new Netflix documentary shares a slice of southern Texas life as a high school mariachi band makes its way to the state championship. “Going Varsity in Mariachi” shows the journey of musicians from the Rio Grande Valley as they compete and connect via the traditional Mexican folk music. Amna Nawaz spoke with co-director Alejandra Vasquez for our arts and culture series, CANVAS.

George Takei was just 4 years old when when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing the government to forcibly remove approximately 125,000 people from their homes and relocate them to prison camps around the country. Star Trek actor George Takei has written about this time in his life before — once in an autobiography, then in a graphic memoir, and now in his new children’s book, My Lost Freedom.