Learning the Language
Education Week reporters covered English-language learners, bilingual education, and civil rights issues and explored the educational, policy, and social issues surrounding ELLs in U.S. schools. This blog is no longer being updated, but you can continue to explore these issues on edweek.org by visiting our related topic pages: English language learners and bilingual education.
Education
Arizona Principal Goes into "Advocacy Mode"
Yvonne Watterson, a principal of an early-college high school in Phoenix, fought for her students who lacked residency and citizenship papers in the United States to continue to take college classes. The Arizona statute, Proposition 300, discontinued the opportunity for undocumented immigrants to pay in-state tuition rates at public colleges and universities. And some of the high school students in Ms. Watterson's school who were taking college courses fell into that category as well.
Education
The ELL Report Congress Hasn't Gotten
I know at least one person here in the nation's capital who follows issues concerning English-language learners and at times has been as persistent as I have been in bugging the U.S. Department of Education for information: Don Soifer, the executive vice president for the Lexington Institute, in Arlington, Va., a conservative think tank.
Education
Voices For and Against Illinois' Mandate for Bilingual Education
An author of a letter to the editor of the Daily Herald published today contends that some school districts in Illinois are fulfilling the state's mandate to provide bilingual education by hiring Spanish-speaking teachers who aren't fluent in English nor certified to teach. She says Illinois should provide flexibility for schools to choose the method to teach English-language learners. I came across the letter over at TESOL in the News Blog. Someone called VLN, who apparently favors the mandate, writes in the comment section below the letter: "It's not just about learning English. It's about preserving their native language and culture. We don't want to be conquering colonists, do we?"
Education
Welcoming and NOT Welcoming
In trying to help English-language learners to feel more welcome, officials of the Phoenix-Talent School District in Phoenix, Ore., are starting with school buses, according to a March 10 article in the Mail Tribune.
Education
EdSource: Progress Report on California's ELLs
For at least a decade, one-fourth of California's primary and secondary school students have, on average, been English-language learners. So educators in states that are the "new kids on the block" in teaching such students might want to spend some time with EdSource's report, "English Learners in California: What the Numbers Say." (The 16-page report costs $5.)
Education
Bill in Utah Would Increase Dual-Language Programs
If signed into law, a bill passed in the Utah legislature last week would help create 15 dual-language programs at elementary schools, according to a March 7 article in the Salt Lake Tribune. The programs would teach Chinese, Spanish, French, and Navajo, along with English.
Education
Rated 9.5 out of 10 by Blogged.com
Several of Education Week's blogs, including Learning the Language, have received "excellent" ratings from a company called Blogged.com. I received an e-mail message from a marketing person from the company saying my blog had been given a 9.5 score out of 10 by editors who evaluated my blog according to frequency of updates, relevance of content, site design, and writing style.
Education
Trends in the Education of English-Language Learners
Over the weekend, I traveled to Memphis to give a speech about trends in the education of English-language learners. I spoke during a luncheon at the annual conference of the Tennessee Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages.
Education
The Lost Years: Iraqi Students in Jordan
I draw your attention to the reporting project that took me to Amman, Jordan, for 10 days: "The Lost Years: Iraqi Students in Jordan," a collection of photos, videos, and an in-depth article about Iraqi refugees. It was published this week by Education Week. The project isn't, of course, about English-language learners in the United States—the subject of this blog—but many of the nation's ELLs are refugees and the piece might give you some insight into issues affecting displaced people in general.
Education
Geraldo Rivera Stands Up for the Undocumented
Geraldo Rivera, the T.V. star who hosts a show on Fox News, has written a book, His Panic: Why Americans Fear Hispanics in the U.S. He argues that the U.S. Congress should provide a path to legalization for the 12 million people in this country lacking residency or citizenship papers.
Education
Chicago Latino: "How to Get My Vote"
Radio Arte, a public radio station in the Pilson neighborhood of Chicago, is putting young Latinos' voices on the air. Martin Macias, who is 18, broadcast a commentary, "How to Get My Vote," on Radio Arte that was picked up last month by National Public Radio.
Education
Some Still Mad Over New Mexico Teen's Deportation
Some teachers at Roswell High School and members of the Roswell, N.M., community are still upset over how a high school senior was sent back to Mexico three months ago after a local policeman assigned to the school ticketed her for driving without a license.
Education
The Difference Between Speaking English "Well" and "Very Well"
Some researchers have tried to figure out how much one can increase one's salary by mastering a foreign language, according to a Feb. 28 article posted at ABC News.
Education
Two Reports on ELL Research
Let me point you to a couple of reports released this winter that synthesize some of the research out there on English-learners. I had hoped to go back to some of the original research to further investigate some of those conclusions. But the morning hours are slipping away, so I'll leave that for another day.