Bilingual Education

Learn more about the education model where students are taught part of the day in their first language and the rest of the day in a language that is new to them, typically English
Federal Is Betsy DeVos About to Scrap the Federal Office for English-Language Learners?
The proposed consolidation of the office of English-language acquisition is sparking strong pushback from advocates for English-learners, the fastest growing subgroup of students in public schools.
Corey Mitchell, May 10, 2018
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3 min read
English Learners Ability to Learn Languages Stays Strong Until Late Teens, New Study Finds
Scientists have long posited that there is a "critical period" for language learning, but new research suggests that the time frame stretches on much longer than previously thought.
Corey Mitchell, May 1, 2018
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3 min read
English Learners Report Roundup Research Report: English-Language Learners
With the nation's school-age population becoming more linguistically and culturally diverse, early-childhood educators should do more to embrace the differences that the nation's youngest English-learners bring to the classroom, a new report from the Migration Policy Institute concludes.
Corey Mitchell, April 10, 2018
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1 min read
English Learners Don't Underestimate, Shortchange ELLs With Disabilities, Researcher Argues
A researcher found that some educators though bilingualism was "too lofty a goal" for English-language learners with disabilities.
Corey Mitchell, March 30, 2018
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2 min read
English Learners How 5 Districts Unlock ELLs' Math Potential
Across the country, many English-learners don't have access to the same high-quality math courses that their native English-speaking peers do. These five California districts offer a road map to change.
Corey Mitchell, March 29, 2018
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2 min read
Equity & Diversity Report: To Help Young ELLs Thrive, Cultivate Home Languages and Cultures
Incorporating home languages in classroom rituals and routines and encouraging families to share their culture with the school community can help students in "superdiverse" settings feel more welcome, says a report from the Migration Policy Institute.
Corey Mitchell, March 22, 2018
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2 min read
English Learners ELL Education Group Unveils Six Principles for Teacher and Student Success
The principles were developed to help educators cultivate multilingualism, work to develop global citizens, and support students' home languages and cultural backgrounds to achieve those goals.
Corey Mitchell, March 21, 2018
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1 min read
English Learners Watch: A Parent's Campaign to Break Down Language Barriers for ELL Families
When Teresa Garcia's children started school, she often felt lost in translation. Her campaign for improved language services helped break down barriers for English-learner families.
Corey Mitchell, January 19, 2018
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1 min read
Families & the Community Video Parent Changemaker: Fighting to Remove Language Barriers for Families
Teresa Garcia was frustrated. Her Spanish was much better than her English, and that hindered her from communicating with her children’s teachers. She was hardly alone. In the Federal Way school district, north of Tacoma, Wash.,18 percent of the 22,500 students are native Spanish speakers. In all, students in the diverse district speak 118 different languages. “I couldn't support my children in the best way that they deserve because I wasn't able to speak English. I know that too many families need this information in their home language to support their children,” Garcia explains. Garcia and other parents worked with the district to change how schools communicate with families and to ensure information is translated into a host of languages. She also lobbied the state legislature to increase bilingual education statewide. “The most important advice that I can give to any parent,” Garcia says, “is don't feel afraid to speak up. Don't feel afraid to ask about what you need. Don't feel afraid to go to the school and speak your language.”
January 18, 2018
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English Learners Rising Number of ESL Students Poses Challenges for U.S. Schools
The number of English-as-a-second-language speakers in public schools is on the rise, but recent research shows that the quality of education for those students in many K-12 schools is falling short.
Corey Mitchell, January 17, 2018
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2 min read
English Learners From Trump's Immigration Crackdown to Foreign Language Learning, Here Are Top ELL Posts in 2017
In 2017, Learning the Language blog readers were drawn to stories about foreign language education, the Trump administration's aggressive stance on immigration, and research that explored the benefits of bilingualism.
Corey Mitchell, December 20, 2017
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2 min read
Equity & Diversity English-Learner Graduation Rates Rise Nationally, But Lag in Several States
In five states, Arizona, Louisiana, Maryland, New York, and Virginia, fewer than 50 percent of English-language learners graduate high school in four years. Some states produced much better results.
Corey Mitchell, December 19, 2017
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2 min read
English Learners Massachusetts Law Paves the Way for More Bilingual Education
The new law overturns a nearly 15-year-old law that had eliminated bilingual education in most of the state's public schools.
Corey Mitchell, November 27, 2017
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2 min read
Federal To Help ELLs Study the Constitution, iCivics Unveils Spanish-Language Civil Rights Game
A set of new upgrades and enhancements, along with the Spanish version, are designed to support all learners, but were intentionally designed with ELLs and struggling readers in mind.
Corey Mitchell, November 25, 2017
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2 min read
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