ELL News Headlines

It's been four years since Hurricane Maria made landfall and devastated parts of Puerto Rico, sparking the migration of thousands of people to the U.S. mainland and Florida. NewsHour Weekend's Ivette Feliciano spoke with Father Jose Rodriguez whose church has been helping with services and vocational training and has become a cornerstone for a community hit hard by Maria.

The English Learner Accountability Hub provides an overview of key English learner information in all 50 states plus Washington, DC and Puerto Rico. While the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) enshrined a series of accountability measures for ELs across the country, states varied greatly in their implementation of those requirements, which means no two states are the same in their approach to providing ELs with an equitable education.

NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Kristyn Peck of Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area about their efforts to resettle refugees coming from Afghanistan.

Buffalo is expected to receive 350 Afghan humanitarian parolees over the next few months, and although it's not immediately clear how many of them will be children, some of them will undoubtedly be minors in need of K-12 education.

Millions of Afghans could run out of food before the arrival of winter and one million children are at risk of starvation and death if their immediate needs are not met, top United Nations officials warned on Monday, putting the country's plight into stark relief.

Schools throughout Cache County support incoming students whose first language is not English through the English as a Second Language program. Similarly, some elementary schools in the county promote a dual language immersion program that supports English-speaking students in learning a second language through bilingual classes. 

Inside a brick building off Chickamauga Avenue in North Knoxville, visitors can hear conversations in dozens of languages on any given day. It's the Knox County Schools Welcome Center where families and students have a chance to comfortably be a part of their communities and where parents can get involved in their students' education.

With her new book, "Martita, I Remember You," Sandra Cisneros feels like she's finally written a long overdue letter. The author of the best-selling novella "The House on Mango Street" is back with her first work of fiction in almost a decade, a story of memory and friendship, but also about the experiences young women endure as immigrants worldwide.

The team Chalkbeat wants to hear from Hispanic/Latino students and teachers about what the last year was like for them, and what they hope happens as schools return en masse to in-person learning. They also want to share stories of the celebration of heritage and culture from their audience across the country.

NPR will be covering and celebrating Latino culture and history throughout National Hispanic Heritage Month. The Pew Research Center has been tracking key facts and figures on U.S. Latinos for years and here are some of the latest highlights.