ELL News Headlines

In education, we talk a lot about engagement, but focus is really the foundation. In my own high school classroom, I’ve learned that students aren’t being defiant or uncaring when they’re unfocused—they’re struggling to listen with purpose. They need tools that can help them focus better and improve their attention stamina. 

In kindergarten through 5th grade classrooms at Allen Jay Elementary School, students learn subjects like reading, math, and science in English, and in Urdu. The school, in High Point, N.C., offers dual-language immersion programs in Urdu and Spanish, reflecting the two most commonly spoken world languages in the local community.

Math teacher Victor Hurtado knows what it’s like to enter high school as a recently arrived immigrant. After growing up in Durango, Mexico, he moved to Chicago as a teenager and enrolled in Schurz High School, which had an English-Spanish bilingual program at that time. Now, Hurtado serves as the math department chair teaching advanced algebra and AP Calculus at Schurz, which is now one of three dual-language high schools in Chicago Public Schools.

Since January, school and district leaders across the country have been grappling with the varied ripple effects of President Donald Trump’s administration’s fast-paced changes to immigration policies, from no longer regarding schools as “protected areas” from immigration enforcement to more aggressive immigration arrests, including of international college students on visas and green cards.

In North America, the return of longer days also cues the vibrant return of songbirds. Though not all birds disappear during the winter, the number and variety increase during the spring migration—and watching them is a great way for both students and teachers to connect with nature, whether through books, citizen science projects, online feeder stations, or outdoor bird-watching expeditions. 

Opportunities to read and work through text with a peer encourage students to take an active role in their learning.

Harlem was home. Then a trip to Korea helped me understand the two cultures that shaped me.

Social-emotional learning is at the core of Carrie White's 2nd grade classroom in Schenectady, N.Y. The veteran teacher has been in the classroom for nearly 20 years. Reflecting on that journey, she discusses not only how much the teaching profession has changed in that time, but how much the kids have changed, too. No longer is focusing on the academics enough, she says, as kids come into her classroom with “big emotions” that they need to learn how to handle.

Universities and colleges have historically not done well at enrolling Hispanic students. Now their own success may largely depend on it.

Artist Minnie Phan has been honing her craft for many years, but her journey to becoming an artist meant better understanding herself, her heritage and her family. On the MindShift Podcast, she discussed how the Vietnamese diaspora inspired her to pursue art. She also shares what motivated her to create the book “Simone” with Pulitzer-prize winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen. The book follows a young child who has to evacuate her home because of a wildfire. In the process, she learns about how her mother had to evacuate her home when she lived in Vietnam because of a flood. The book also shares how kids can process displacement and see who is helping them during tough times.