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 This blog is no longer being updated, but you can continue to explore these issues on edweek.org by visiting our related topic pages: English language learners and bilingual education.
English Learners
More States Seek Flexibility in Accountability for ELLs
Florida got flexibility on English Language Learners and accountability. Now at least seven other states are also asking for similar for those students.
English Learners
Appeals Court Rules in Favor of Arizona in Decades-Old ELL Case
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the state on Monday in Flores v. Arizona, a 23-year-old lawsuit challenging Arizona's requirement that ELLs spend more than half their school day learning English.
Equity & Diversity
Arizona's ELL Program Draws Federal Scrutiny Once Again
State education leaders have often been at loggerheads with federal officials over the rights of the state's English-language learners.
English Learners
Majority of Hispanics Want Young People to Speak Spanish, Survey Shows
Authors of the Pew Research Center Hispanic Trends report say the findings indicate that bilingualism and preserving heritage languages are important in the United States' Hispanic community.
Equity & Diversity
NEA Video Series Showcases Teaching Strategies for ELLs
One video shares the story of 4th grade student Gian Carlos, an ELL newcomer from Colombia, who's fluent in Spanish, but has little experience in English.
English Learners
Houston's Two-Way Dual-Language Programs Best for ELLs, Study Finds
In a study of the Houston Independent School District, English-language learners in two-way dual-language programs had higher Spanish reading scores and consistently higher English performance in grade 5 than their ELL peers who were not in dual language.
English Learners
What's the Top Home Language for ELLs?
The Migration Policy Institute and Middlebury Interactive Languages released separate reports on the topic this week. Their findings diverge on several key points.
Equity & Diversity
Obama Administration Grants NCLB Waiver to Florida Tribal School
The U.S. Department of Education is taking the unusual step of giving a single, tribal school flexibility from mandates of the No Child Left Behind Act.
Education
More Than Half of Houston's 2015 Valedictorians Were English-Learners
The district is reaping the benefits of its expanding commitment to bilingual education, but the graduation rates and state test scores of language-learners are still falling below expectations.
English Learners
Tribal District Grad Rate Soars After Hiring More Native Teachers
A Wisconsin district has increased its percentage of Native teachers and is seeing improved outcomes for students.
Teaching
Miami-Dade Postpones Proposed Changes to Foreign Language Instruction
Amid growing criticism of his "extended foreign language" program, Superintendent Alberto Carvalho will convene a task force to develop proposals that could roll out during the 2016-17 school year.
English Learners
Educators Share Stories of Struggles With New English-Learner Standards
The focus has shifted from "the whats of language," namely vocabulary and grammar, to "doing" with language by engaging with academic content, said Kenji Hakuta, a Stanford University professor.
English Learners
New Glossary Aims to Offer Clarity on Language-Learner Terms
The New America Foundations hopes the glossary will pin down what educators mean when they talk about dual-language learners, English-language learners, long-term English learners, and other groups of students.
English Learners
Seattle Schools to Expand ELL Services After Critical State Audit
For two years, the district failed to give a required English placement test to about 1,200 students who reported speaking a language other than English at home.