ELL News Headlines

Anthony Vargas listened intently as a young student launched into her presentation on the Navajo Code Talkers, a group of American Indians trained and recruited to relay secret messages in battles during World War II. Vargas, the district's supervisor of gifted and talented and advanced programs, understands all too well the importance of recognizing the talent and value of historically underrepresented groups. It's why he's worked diligently over the last four years to increase the number of Hispanic students and those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds in the district's gifted and talented program, which skewed white and upper income even as students of color and those from low-income households made up a majority of the district's enrollment.

Before taking Arabic language classes at Denver’s North High School, Rachel Saghbazarian had to communicate with her grandmother in Lebanon using what she called broken English. Her father often had to serve as interpreter — and too many times, thoughts were lost in translation. Now, a year after starting the classes taught by Mohamed Moghazy, Rachel hopes to be able to revisit conversations asking her grandmother — in Arabic this time — what it was like to relocate to Lebanon after fleeing her war-torn home of Armenia.

It’s presentation day in a fifth grade classroom at Vang Pao Elementary School in Fresno, and some students are more shy than others. But 11-year-old Irene Her stands in front of the classroom, confidently weaving Hmong words together to talk about the “lub vab,” a basket tool used in the Southeast Asian culture. Irene is among the inaugural class of students who began kindergarten in Fresno Unified’s Hmong Dual Language Immersion Program in 2018. Billed as the most extensive of its kind in the nation, the program is building up each year, welcoming new students into TK and kindergarten, while the other classes move up.

Natalie Griffin’s surprise pregnancy at age 15 could have derailed her high school career. Instead, it forged her into the obstacle-defying educator she became decades later.

Between an influx of school-age Spanish-speaking students relocating to Florida and the state’s ongoing teacher shortage, the need for evidence-based educational practices benefiting English learners is greater than ever.

It’s a resource gap that four UCF researchers hope to help fill through a new project called the English-Learner Infused Training and Experience Program for Early and Primary Learning Educators (ELITE).

The American Library Association (ALA) announced the following Pura Belpré awards for two titles published by LEE & LOW BOOKS INC.: Where Wonder Grows illustrated by Adriana M. Garcia as the 2023 Pura Belpré Youth Illustration Award winner, and Still Dreaming / Seguimos soñando illustrated by Magdalena Mora as a 2023 Pura Belpré Youth Illustration Honor Book.

School librarians have always had a role to play in promoting literacy — especially through reading for pleasure — and because of this, it’s often linked to the English department. This is not something that should be dismissed. As we know, students who read widely do better academically, as it introduces them to lots more vocabulary and also supports and engages their imagination. 

Parents of dual language learners (DLLs) are often advised not to speak to their infants and toddlers in more than one language. This advice is rooted in outdated notions that speaking to a child in multiple languages, especially when they are infants and toddlers, will confuse them and cause delays in their speech and language development. This belief could not be further from the truth.

Winter can be a good time for reading thoughtful books. It's like the pale daylight and early darkness create a space for stories — in particular for stories that ask the reader to mull over themes and ideas that can sometimes be difficult. It's a time that allows for reading deeply, giving things proper consideration — and sitting with the feelings that can create. With that in mind, here are five new YA books out this winter that will reward such reading.