ELL News Headlines

Today, there are many publishers and imprints that seek to spotlight and promote diverse, inclusive stories and work by creators of color, but 30 years ago, that was not the case. Noting that lack of multicultural voices in children's literature, Thomas Low and Phillip Lee launched Lee & Low Books in 1991. This week, Low died of cancer, but he leaves behind a legacy of booklists, careers launched, and a publishing house to continue the mission. "He was proud each and every season we released a new list of books," his son Jason Low, publisher and co-owner of Lee & Low, wrote in an email. "We have heard from librarians who have recommended our titles; educators who use our books in their classrooms; authors and illustrators who have published with us; and agents who have brought manuscripts to Lee & Low for years. The common theme people tell us is that the work that we do is important, that diversity matters, and that even though they are sad to hear of Tom's passing, they are glad that his legacy will live on through us."

Booker Innovative Elementary School learning strategist Juliana Urtubey was named Wednesday as the 2021 Nevada Teacher of the Year. Gov. Steve Sisolak and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jhone Ebert made the announcement during a virtual ceremony, with members of the Booker school community in attendance. Urtubey, who was born in Bogota, Colombia, is a member of Ebert's Teacher Advisory Cabinet. She's passionate about "closing cultural and linguistic gaps that can exist between educators, students, and families" and works with students who face learning, mental, emotional or physical challenges, according to the release.

How should teachers respond when a colleague says or does something — knowingly or unknowingly — that is racist? Today,  Dr. Sawsan Jaber, Denise Fawcett Facey,  and Felicia Darling "wrap up" this three-part series with their thoughts.

What has your online learning experience been as a student this fall?  What is working for you and why?  What is not working for you and why? 

This new series will highlight contributions from students in Larry Ferlazzo's classes.

When so much is out of our control, the act of volunteering puts some control back in our hands. And with the normal rhythms of life still very much disrupted, it’s a good way to occupy and engage children who might otherwise feel stuck. For families who want to volunteer in this new landscape, what options are there? Quite a few, says Karen Daniel, vice president of programs at Youth Service America. “We have a project ideas database on our website, where people can search by the issue area that they care about and by their spark, which is what they love to do. We really believe in helping kids start with something they love so that the project is fun for them, too.”

 A Hechinger Report/Associated Press analysis of career and technical education enrollment data from 40 states reveals deep racial disparities in who takes these career-oriented courses. Black and Latino students were often less likely than their white peers to enroll in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and information technology classes, according to the analysis, which was based primarily on 2017-18 data. Meanwhile, they were more likely to enroll in courses in hospitality and, in the case of Black students in particular, human services. 

New York City school buildings will shut down Thursday in an aggressive attempt to fight off another surge of the coronavirus, Mayor Bill de Blasio and schools Chancellor Richard Carranza announced.

Newark students recently shared some of the challenges of attending school remotely during a virtual chat with their mayor, where they discussed the isolation of online learning, the frustration of heavy workloads, and the strain of being a teenager during a global pandemic.