ELL News Headlines

Growing up, Al Roker loved animation. His Saturday mornings were devoted to Bugs Bunny and Road Runner, and he would spend hours studying Preston Blair’s book on how to draw cartoons. He dreamed of becoming an animator for Walt Disney. But when he grew up and became the “Today” weatherman instead, he had the idea to combine his love of weather with his love of animation into a children’s TV series.

An interdisciplinary gardening unit can strengthen students' sense of belonging and enhance their language skills.

Elementary teachers can focus on these fundamentals of child development to support social and emotional learning.

Twenty-four organizations working to expand literacy and promote reading were awarded the 2025 Library of Congress Literacy Award. Colorín Colorado was named as a Successful Practices Honoree for its family engagement resources.

Larry Ferlazzo is a well-respected teacher, both in the Sacramento high school where he taught for more than two decades and far beyond. He has spent much of his career teaching immigrant students and English language learners. He’s written 10 books about teaching and edited 3 more. He also maintains a personal blog and a column for teachers, where he shares resources and tips for a following of tens of thousands. Now he’s retiring. In this episode, he shares how he became the teacher he is and some words of wisdom for other teachers who will carry his baton.

State education agencies play a critical role in shaping the quality of English learners’ education. These agencies provide districts with technical support, guidance documents, and an educational vision for English learners within a given state. They can also help ensure equitable educational experiences for English learners, especially those with additional needs such as students new to the country, by establishing clear, statewide policies for all districts to follow, experts say. But the degree to which state education agencies invest in English-learner programs and policies varies widely from state to state. T

When Ameya Desai won the fourth grade prize of NPR's Student Podcast Challenge last year, something surprising happened: A neighbor reached out asking if the 11-year-old journalist would interview his grandmother, a survivor of the Japanese American incarceration camps. The result is Ameya's podcast, Far From Home - Shikata Ga Nai.

The English-learner population is growing rapidly nationwide, but funding, staffing, and state-level expertise for those students have not kept pace. That’s what members of the National Association of English Learner Program Administrators report, according to Khalil El-Saghir, the vice president of the organization, which includes both state and school district leaders.

Websder Corneille is the founder and director of the Haitian Creole Program, an adjunct college lecturer at Indiana University, and a reading interventionist at Promise Prep. He writes, "As a native of Haiti who was mostly educated in French, I bring with me my own challenges that come with learning English. To say that my position resonates with my own experience is an understatement. And now, my role has been extended to include family engagement and support services for our Haitian students and their caregivers. They can reach out to me for public transportation passes, for example, or for help with a job application."

Whether you have a small outdoor space or a dedicated indoor area, garden-based learning does not have to be overwhelming. There are simple ways you can begin. Initiate school-wide participation by asking students to save lunchroom throwaways, like empty milk cartons and yogurt cups for seedlings. Provide a 5-gallon bucket in the cafeteria and share information on which food scraps can be saved and used for composting.