ELL News Headlines

"It was a big whoops moment," said Meg Medina about the real-life incident that also appears in her novel, "Merci Suárez Changes Gears," which was awarded the 2019 Newbery Award. Medina was a middle school teacher when it happened. Like her 11-year-old main character, Merci, she made a huge mistake on a project about ancient Egypt.

Elizabeth Acevedo, whose debut novel won over the publishing world, critics, and award committees in 2018, continued her streak into the new year as The Poet X nabbed the 2019 Michael L. Printz Award and the Pure Belpré Author Award at the Youth Media Awards ceremony at the American Library Association’s Midwinter Meeting in Seattle on Monday. The Pure Belpré Author Award shocked Acevedo — who says the recognition of a Latinx writer whose work best "best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience" wasn't on her radar as an award she might win. "To get that honor is so special," she says. "There were so many good books this year written by the Latinx community. I was really honored. That one caught me by surprise."

New York University's (NYU) move to waive medical school tuition apparently answered cynics, boosting applications by 47% while more than doubling those from underrepresented groups, Inside Higher Ed reported. The school saw the largest increase among African American, black and Afro-Caribbean applicants.

Girl Scouts CEO Sylvia Acevedo said she was excited to be invited to be an Auditorium Speaker at the American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits in Seattle because she wanted to say thank you. "Libraries and librarians changed my life. I would not be who I am today without libraries and librarians," she told the crowd, which included a few young Girl Scouts in their distinctive green uniforms and badges.

Less than three weeks into her tenure as Denver schools superintendent, Susana Cordova stood in the lobby of the district’s downtown headquarters Friday afternoon and apologized. Ringed by television cameras, Cordova said she was shocked the evening before to learn that a district human resources employee had sent an email to schools on Tuesday that said immigrant teachers working in Denver Public Schools on visas would be reported to immigration authorities if they participated in an impending teacher strike. "This was wrong," said Cordova, flanked by three Denver school board members. "I cannot begin to express how shocked I was to learn of this message, and how deeply sorry I am for the anxiety and fear this has caused our educators, our families, and our community."

Larry Ferlazzo’s question of the week is, "How do you promote speaking with English-language learners?" Today's answers come from Sandra C. Figueroa, Cecilia Pattee, Barbara Gottschalk,  Michael D. Toth, Becky Corr, and Susan Michalski.

A racial justice organization says Denver Public Schools is intimidating immigrant teachers who are considering striking, but district officials called it an error.

To be considered a Hispanic Serving Institution, 25 percent of a college's population must be Hispanic. Right now, there are 492 HSIs in the U.S., but David Ortiz with the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities says that will change soon.

English language learners are underrepresented in STEM fields, in both college and on the job. To understand how education can better work with these students (who could speak one of 350 different languages in the United States) is the topic of a new report from the National Academy of Sciences. "English Learners in STEM Subjects" has three broad sections: a background on English learners, effective strategies for preparing teachers to work with English learners in STEM subjects and how to transform STEM learning itself for the students.

Lawmakers heard a bill recently that would provide state funds for school district programs helping English learners. Rep. Sharon Stewart Peregoy, D-Crow Agency, told members of the House Education Committee that House Bill 18 came from the State-Tribal Relations Committee, and would help students who have limited English proficiency to the point where it is hurting their academic performance. She said the largest number of the 3,000 students in that category are Native American, making up 2 percent of the total student population in Montana.