ELL News Headlines

We wrote recently about some of the reasons that may be keeping teachers from pursuing the bilingual educator route, despite the widespread need for teachers who can instruct English learners. We dug further into data from the National Center for Education Statistics to find out how the rate of English learners enrolled in public schools has changed over time.

A new dialect has been found to be emerging in Miami—the distinct vernacular is a heavily Spanish-influenced dialect of American English influenced by decades of integration of Spanish speakers. 

Educators and researchers alike generally welcomed the news that the U.S. Department of Education’s office of English language acquisition, or OELA, would oversee control of federal funding for English learners moving forward.

February is Black History Month, so why not start with these edifying, entertaining audiobooks by Black writers about Black experiences starring Black characters? 

About a third of students are on track to miss at least 10% of school days this year. Why are students missing school, and how can we bring them back?

Last year, I began a tradition of having educators share their best teaching advice — in six words or less. Here are some more entries.

At 8:30 a.m. on a sunny winter day, the cafeteria tables at the Patricia J. Sullivan Partnership Elementary School are packed. For the past few years, the school has been experimenting with a new tool to help kids deal with their stress: a daily mindfulness program called Inner Explorer.

The lunchroom at Akron’s Findley Community Learning Center is filled with the sound of different languages being spoken: Spanish, Swahili, Nepalese. A local nonprofit is giving a presentation, in English, to dozens of Akron Public Schools parents on how immigrants can get their GED in English. All the while, seven interpreters are translating the presentation for them via headsets and earpieces The parents come from a wide range of countries, like Guatemala, Afghanistan and Thailand.

Minneapolis Public Schools has doubled its number of librarians since last year and met its goal of staffing at least a half-time librarian at each of its more than 60 schools. But most worth celebrating, staff members say, is the number of books finding their way into the hands of young readers across the city. Circulation is way up in many schools — it's doubled since last year at Nellie Stone Johnson Elementary on the North Side and also at Transitions Plus, a program for 18- to 21-year-old students with learning disabilities. Stadium View, the district's juvenile detention program, now has a functional library that has loaned out more than 400 books.

A science teacher in Alaska who encourages students to become stewards of natural resources. A music technology teacher in Georgia who teaches students how to create podcasts. An English-as-a-second-language teacher in Tennessee who builds bridges between cultures. A history teacher in New Jersey who guides his students to research and celebrate their own identities. These are the finalists for the 2024 National Teacher of the Year, the top national honor for teaching.