ELL News Headlines

When Luis Paulino started eighth grade at a new school in a new country, he was made to feel like he didn't fit in. Paulino, who arrived in New York from the Dominican Republic in 2006, remembered being bullied for his differences. By 2010, Paulino was no longer the new kid in school. He was a tutor in algebra class, where he first met Angel Gonzalez, another Spanish speaker who had just moved from the Dominican Republic.

Evolving COVID rules have been confusing enough for native English speakers. Parents who speak limited or no English have found it difficult to understand and get answers about the protocols, say educators and advocates who work with immigrant families. That communication gap is often filled by parent leaders and community groups when families can’t get assistance from their schools or are waiting for translated versions of guidance from the education department.

Sylvia Acevedo has been many things in her life —entrepreneur, business leader and a literal rocket scientist. Her journey on the dirt streets of Las Cruces, New Mexico, Acevedo said, and education was the thing that helped her live the "life of my dreams."

Talk about a storybook ending. Author Jamil Jan Kochai searched for more than a decade for Susan Lung — the second-grade teacher who had changed his life over 20 years earlier. And on Saturday night, in one of those "life is better than fiction" twists, the two were finally reunited at one of his book-reading events.

A colleague from Kyiv, Ukraine, whom I’ll call N.M., sent me brief essays her students wrote on what they would do when the war ends. As both a scholar and a novelist, I knew that these voices, which expressed a beautifully straightforward and pure yearning for the simplest things that are lost in war, needed to be heard by the world.

Designing instruction that is accessible to English learners (ELs), or multilingual learners, is of the utmost importance. It’s simply not enough to make content available to learners. That’s like being given a car but no keys to use it. Equitable instruction is instruction that provides every learner with what they need for academic success.

A growing number of children’s book authors and literacy activists have been pushing for more bilingual books for kids. That objective resonates with many bilingual households, particularly in California, where more than a quarter of residents speak Spanish as a first language.

Outdoor play is linked to improved outcomes in children’s social-emotional, cognitive, and physical development as well as academic gains. Early childhood outdoor learning environments (OLE) where educators use their training, professional development, and technical assistance to engage young children can promote structured and unstructured physical activity, play, and discovery. Improving OLEs in child care centers and homes is a low-cost and high-impact strategy for improving program quality, educator well-being, and children’s learning and health. Yet few child care programs receive the funding, guidance, or support to improve their outdoor settings beyond minimum health and safety requirements.

The Indiana Department of Education has offered an early look into its priorities for the upcoming legislative session, which include nearly doubling the funding for teaching English language learner students. 

Sara Almoula understands what many refugee students have been through. She was 14 when her family came to West Springfield in May 2010 as refugees from Iraq.