ELL News Headlines

New research indicates that where English-language learners attend school can determine how quickly they are reclassified as English-proficient A Michigan State University research team found that schools in Texas—second only to California in total number of K-12 English-learners—vary widely in how they determine if students should be reclassified as English proficient, affecting their chances of success in school and beyond.

The schools superintendent in Harrisonburg, Va., was meeting parents this month when a mother broke down in tears, explaining that she was undocumented. What would the school do, she asked, if she became separated from her children? "I remember walking up to her and putting my arm on her shoulder and saying, 'Your child is safe at our school,'" said Scott Kizner, the city schools chief. But he also advised those at the meeting in the Shenandoah Valley that any parents worried about deportation "need to make plans."

Sixty-four Woodburn high school seniors received the State of Oregon Seal of Biliteracy in a recognition ceremony the evening of March 14. The seal recognizes the linguistic assets and academic skills of biliterate high school graduates, as well as provides colleges and employers with a consistent measure for bilingual proficiency.

Crossing borders and leaving family, home, and everything else behind is a reality for many children and teens. The following titles—from picture books to YA—explore the many dangers, factors, and effects that refugees and immigrants face every day. All of these titles are recently published or forthcoming in 2017.

Two Texas congressmen from opposing political parties created an internet sensation — and maybe a tool for integrating social-emotional learning into classroom discussions — when their flights to Washington were cancelled due to snow this week, forcing them on an impromptu cross-country road trip to make it to the Capitol in time for votes Wednesday evening.

Jennifer Garner, the actress and a member of the Board of Trustees of the nonprofit Save the Children, which promotes children's rights, testified Thursday on Capitol Hill about the importance of early-childhood education for children who live in poverty. Appearing at a hearing of the House Appropriations labor, health and human services, education and related agencies subcommittee, Garner explained in moving testimony how living in poverty affects the ability of young children to learn.

Over the last 15 years or so, thousands of refugees have flowed from Somalia into the small, historically white town of Lewiston, Maine. For many of the youngest refugees, the move has meant adjusting to a new school and a school climate that can make them feel rejected. Maine Public Radio's Robbie Feinberg reports on a group of students trying to change that by teaching their teachers about what it means to be a refugee.

The Trump administration is seeking to cut $9.2 billion — or 13.5 percent — from the Education Department's budget, a dramatic downsizing that would reduce or eliminate grants for teacher training, after-school programs and aid to ­low-income and first-generation college students.  Along with the cuts, among the steepest the agency has ever sustained, the administration is also proposing to shift $1.4 billion toward one of President Trump’s key priorities: Expanding charter schools, private-school vouchers and other alternatives to traditional public schools.

Nearly 40 percent of U.S. colleges are seeing declines in applications from international students, and international student recruitment professionals report "a great deal of concern" from students and their families about visas and perceptions of a less welcoming climate in the U.S., according to a survey conducted in February by six higher education groups.

A new small-scale, ethnographic study published in the American Educational Research Journal explores when and how undocumented students decide to discuss their citizenship status. Elementary school-aged students are often acutely aware of their immigration status—and it affects how and when they participate in school activities, Rutgers University researcher Ariana Mangual Figueroa found in her exploration of how educators can best serve students who are undocumented or have parents who are.