ELL News Headlines

As English language arts teachers, we’re always trying to find ways to build student comprehension with grade-level texts in reading and listening. We’re also trying to support our students with their ability to write. A language dive is especially useful in this effort. In a language dive, we take a juicy sentence from a text and utilize it to support students’ understanding of the main ideas while they learn different types of language and ultimately model writing. One of the most challenging things about a language dive is that students may not know all of the words or concepts in the chunks they’re deconstructing.

In her award-winning entry for NPR's Student Podcast challenge, Ameya Desai interviews her grandfather, Kishor Desai, whose family migrated from India to Uganda, where Kishor was born and raised. His father worked at a sugarcane factory outside of Uganda's capital, Kampala.

Stories explaining federal policy shifts and guides on how to best teach this diverse group of students were some of the top topics on EdWeek readers’ minds when reading stories this year about English learners.

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.