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 This blog is no longer being updated, but you can continue to explore these issues on edweek.org by visiting our related topic pages: English language learners and bilingual education.
Equity & Diversity
How Should Schools Respond to ICE Raids? Some Advice
Nationally, at least five million children have at least one parent who is undocumented. Supporting those children should be a priority if the threat of a raid is not imminent, advocates said.
Federal
Is Congress Lagging in Nationwide Push for Language Learning?
The popularity of the seal of biliteracy has surged across the country but federal legislation that would fund U.S. Department of Education grants to help states and school districts establish and strengthen programs has repeatedly sputtered in Congress.
English-Language Learners
Do English-Language Learners Get Stigmatized by Teachers? A Study Says Yes
New research suggests that English-language-learner classification has a "direct and negative effect on teachers' perceptions of students' academic skills."
English-Language Learners
Who's Earning the Seal of Biliteracy? In One State, It's Mostly English-Learners
In the class of 2018, 63 percent of California graduates who earned the "seal of biliteracy" spoke a language other than English when they began school, a new advocacy group report finds.
English-Language Learners
Evaluating English-Learners for Special Education Is a Challenge. Here's Help
Two new resources aim to help educators determine whether English-learners' struggles in schools stem from learning disabilities. Experts say educators often struggle to identify these students and to steer them to the right services.
English-Language Learners
Itinerant English-Learners Pose Challenges for School Systems
A new study that sought to examine learning conditions across the country for long-term English-learners found that 1 in 5 of the students are highly mobile, and may not have access to consistent language support as a result.
English-Language Learners
U.S. Economy Needs More Foreign Language Studies to Stay Competitive, Report Says
A new report from the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages determines that U.S. employees are missing out on business opportunities because they struggle to find employees who can communicate in languages other than English.
English-Language Learners
As More States Adopt Bilingualism Seal, Equity Concerns Arise
While demographic information on students earning the seal of biliteracy is not tracked in many states, new research suggests that English-learners and students from low-income families may be on the wrong side of an equity gap.
Equity & Diversity
Many Native American Students Don't Learn About Their Languages and Cultures in School
Students at Bureau of Indian Education schools were more likely to report being exposed to Native languages and culture when compared to their peers attending traditional public schools.
College & Workforce Readiness
English-Learners and Graduation: How ESSA Could Penalize ELLs and Their Schools
The Every Student Succeeds Act could lead administrators in traditional high schools to turn away older English-learner students who may need additional time to earn their high school diplomas, a new report from the Migration Policy Institute argues.
Equity & Diversity
100,000 Undocumented Students Graduate From U.S. High Schools Each Year, Analysis Finds
The new analysis significantly increases the annual estimate of undocumented high school students earning diplomas that has long been used in debates about immigration and special protections for immigrant youth who were illegally brought to the U.S. as children.
English-Language Learners
School Districts Get Creative to Fill English-Learner Teaching Vacancies, Survey Finds
A new survey from the Council of the Great City Schools reveals trends on English-learner enrollment, linguistic diversity, student achievement, professional development, and staffing in the nation's largest school districts.
Teaching Profession
Bilingual Teachers Are in Short Supply. How Can Schools Cultivate Their Own?
A Washington-based think tank has released a guide to help school districts and states identify, develop, and hire bilingual educators in their own communities.
English-Language Learners
Should 'English-Only' States Test ELLs in Their Native Languages?
New legislation introduced in Florida, which educates more than 300,000 English-learners in public schools, would allow ELLs to take state tests in their native languages. The bill would allow school districts to bypass the state's Every Student Succeeds Act plan, but could face several hurdles to approval.