ELL News Headlines

The students of Bethune Academy reflect the larger population of their Milwaukee, WI, community: The PreK–8 school is home to a large refugee population from countries such as Myanmar and Malaysia, and many students are raised in households that speak ­Burmese, Rohingya, or Karen. Around 40 percent of the school’s students are ­English Language Learners (ELLs), which is a key factor in how they engage with the school library. 

There’s no magic formula for getting through your first year, but these pointers will help you keep perspective and carry on.

School Library Journal's starred middle and high school nonfiction offerings for the first half of 2025 are sure to keep readers engaged and informed. 

The U.S. Department of Education has quietly rescinded a seminal 2015 “Dear Colleague” letter that outlined for schools and districts how they can comply with their legal obligations to serve English learners. Advocates for English learners first became aware of the rescission the week of Aug. 11, calling it the latest effort by the federal government to weaken protections for the nation’s more than 5 million English learners.

The Trump administration has quietly rescinded long-standing guidance that directed schools to accommodate students who are learning English, alarming advocates who fear that schools will stop offering assistance if the federal government quits enforcing the laws that require it.

Third-graders at Liberty Oaks Elementary in Kansas City, MO, are literally planting the seeds of sustainability and generosity. As part of the school’s Garden Project, they’re creating a seed library for home gardeners and developing a reading garden for their school.

Teachers can carefully chunk information to support newcomer students in learning grade-level content while developing their English proficiency.

A New Mexico school district has won the National Spanish Spelling Bee six times since the event began in 2011. Three of its students have won twice — each in back-to-back years.

Veronica Alvarez was 4 when her family came to the U.S. from Cotija in Michoacán, Mexico, a small town famed for its cheese. Her father picked avocados amid the scorching heat in the San Fernando Valley, while her mother cleaned houses. One of nine children, she learned how to scrimp and save, how to work hard and how to dream big.

“We were so poor, I knew not to ask for much,” said Alvarez, 52, now executive director of Los Angeles-based Create

Jahin Rahman is a first-generation American college graduate from New York City and an alum of the University of Pennsylvania. In this personal essay, Jahin writes, "Standing at the top of the escalator, I had the chance to take a good look at the entire Penn bookstore, with its branded school merchandise ranging from short-sleeved tees to baby overalls to shot glasses. I took a deep breath. 'I am finally here,' I thought to myself."