ELL News Headlines

Maryse Emmanuel-Garcy came to the U.S. from Haiti in 1970 and enrolled in high school on Long Island in New York state. When she heard her classmates’ comments about Haitian students, she decided to speak up and push back. She later became a social worker and one of the co-founders of the Haitian Family of Long Island, known as Hafali. As a community leader, a counselor, and through her family and social connections, she knows the hurdles that confront Haitian students and adults and the discrimination they’ve long faced.

Sometimes the best teaching partnerships happen by chance. For me it began one day when I was working as a school librarian at Pocantico Hills School in Sleepy Hollow, NY. The English as a new language (ENL) teacher, Joy Scantlebury, came into the library seeking a quiet space to work with her students. Over the next few months, I got a peek into Joy’s impact on these kids. Though I knew these English language learners (ELLs) from my library classes, I had been missing out on getting to know them as well as I could. I also realized that as a school librarian, I could do more to support their learning and sense of belonging and that collaborating with Joy could help me do that most effectively.

It was a day of scrapped lesson plans. On Friday, the second graders in Lisa Pankratz’s class in Springfield, Ohio, were supposed to practice taking measurements, read a story about a chameleon desiring a color of his own, and attend their favorite special – gym class. Instead, before the school day officially began, teachers at Snowhill Elementary School were rounding up students who had already arrived and turning away others whose parents were dropping them off. A bomb threat tied to a rumor-turned-lie about the city’s growing Haitian immigrant population had forced an evacuation. Ms. Pankratz addressed it delicately.

National Hispanic Heritage Month is observed from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. Lupita Aquino, also known as "Lupita Reads" on social media, shares a few book recommendations by Latino authors.

These titles feature Haitian American representation or are by Haitian American authors, including picture books by Tami Charles and YA novels by Ben Phillipe and Ibi Zoboi.

The dozens of bomb threats and the onslaught of public attention that has befallen a small Ohio city has children living in fear, worried parents said Thursday. A barrage of threats has caused school evacuations and shutdowns.

From picture book biographies to historical overviews and reference titles, this roundup spotlights informational texts centering Latinx heritage. Add these works to nonfiction displays from September 15 to October 15 (and every other month of the year).

Counselor Marisa Mathews arrived at Chicago’s Prescott Elementary just as students were returning to the school after pandemic-era remote learning. That meant the former middle school English teacher had to get right to work addressing COVID’s mental health toll on students and a rise in disruptive student behaviors. She says teamwork has been key — from tackling issues with the school’s new behavioral health and climate teams to working more closely with families. The campus has also bet big on embracing restorative practices, including a push to give students the chance to drive conversations about conflicts and school culture.

Students can actively demonstrate their learning through inquiry-focused projects that promote creativity.

Nature-inspired design can reduce stress and create an environment where students are relaxed and ready to learn.