ELL News Headlines

A report released this week by the Kaiser Family Foundation illustrates how immigration policy changes at the federal level are affecting an increasing number of families, some of whom are disenrolling themselves and their children from California's Medicaid program and not renewing or not enrolling in other programs, even though they are eligible and not directly affected by the policy changes. Experts are worried about long-term health effects.

Diana Tibaduiza migrated to Reno from Colombia in the early 2000's. Her early years in the states exposed her to a life of bullying and trauma as a young Latina learning English. Now, she's raising two first-generation American children who are currently enrolled in the Washoe County School District. KUNR's Stephanie Serrano spoke to Diana about how her hardships and culture shock shaped her motherhood.

More than 300,000 public school students prepared to return to school as Chicago leaders on Thursday announced an end to an acrimonious teachers' strike that lasted 11 days, the longest here in decades, and turned life upside down for families across the nation's third-largest school district.

A third-grade teacher from Anne Arundel County credited with forging strong connections with students and colleagues has been named the 2020 Maryland Teacher of the Year. Teresa Beilstein, a teacher at South Shore Elementary School in Crownsville, won the top honor Friday night, with state officials announcing her selection at a crowded gala in Baltimore. Of her approach, she said she believes in "being present" with her students and helping each to feel valued as an important voice. "Once they recognize the power of their voice, they start to believe in their potential," she said.

Don't let the name fool you. It’s no cake walk putting out the Easy English Times. Four thousand copies of the Napa Valley-based adult literacy and English-as-a-Second-Language newspaper are printed at a Healdsburg press and sent to readers across 20 states, 10 times per year, said publisher and co-founder Betty Malmgren.

A Raleigh author is celebrating after his new book made the New York Times Best Seller’s List. Kwame Mbalia's novel, "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky," highlights a demographic that often lacks representation in children’s literature. According to Mbalia, the book is based on African folktales. It tells the story of an African-American boy who is sucked into a world where folktales and West African gods are in conflict. "This is one of the [few] times that we’ve seen them on the front cover of a major publisher to be exposed to millions of kids," said Mbalia, who spends his career trying to put narratives featuring African Americans in the spotlight. Although this is Mbalia's first book, several big names took notice while he was still writing. "Tristan Strong" is presented by Rick Riordan, the well-known author of the Percy Jackson series.

Equity in education, broadly speaking, means that schools provide all students the supports they need to reach their fullest potential. Officials often focus on racial, economic, and gender gaps in academic performance, and how school policies perpetuate those disparities. Drawing attention to longstanding racial inequities in school district practices is challenging, exciting, and essential work, according to chief equity officers interviewed in six districts and one charter network.

The school walkouts that have spread across the country since early last year have rallied the public behind teachers. But high on the list of priorities in more recent protests, especially in large urban districts like Chicago, are demands for support staff focused on students' well-being — counselors, nurses and psychologists.

Latinx students at a San Antonio college are learning to challenge negative perceptions around Spanglish.

Mayko Calmo-Gomez, 19, is among a new generation of Latino students in Sampson County, North Carolina who are striving for something that eluded their parents. The county is known for hogs and blueberries, which provide jobs that have attracted hundreds of Latino immigrant families. The percentage of Latino students in the county has grown from 27 to 40 percent in the last decade. But the jobs have a downside. The work is hard, the hours are long and the pay is meager, exacerbating a cycle of poverty that has been tough to break. Just 31 percent of Latino adults who are older than 25 have a high school diploma, one of the lowest rates in the country.