What Issues do Teachers of ELLs Face?

Teaching is universally a rewarding but challenging job. For ELL teachers, a unique set of challenges present themselves. Students with Diverse Abilities and Needs A current ELL classroom in the U.S. can contain students of varying countries of origin, English speaking and writing abilities, and cultural identities. An ELL teacher has to assess, get to know, teach, and support all … Read More

Title I, Part A and Parent Involvement

Title I, Part A Title I (Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, or ESEA) provides funding specifically for local education agencies (LEAs) and schools with high numbers or percentages of children from low-income families. In order to better understand how Title I affects schools and families, read on to learn five important things about Title I. What … Read More

English Learner Programs and Resources in Virginia

The state of Virginia has a total enrollment of 1,263,660 students in grades K-12 in the state public school system. 99,897 of them are English Language Learners making up 7.9% of the student population as of years 2012-2013. The vast majority of ELL students in Virginia speak Spanish, with Arabic, Vietnamese, Urdu, and Korean rounding out the top five other … Read More

ESSA Increases State DSS Funding

Every Student Succeeds Act – ESSA In December of 2015, President Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the latest update to federal education law and a bipartisan bill that aims to repair “the overuse of standardized tests and one-size-fits all mandates” and to empower “states and school districts to develop their own strategies for improvement.” One provision of … Read More

New Research Links Bilingualism with Better Attention and Self Control

New Research Links Bilingualism with Better Attention and Self Control Bilingualism has long been considered something of an advantage. Children who are taught to learn multiple languages are often better prepared for their lives ahead, not just for the reason that they can converse with people from diverse backgrounds in other countries, but because bilingualism is often an indication of … Read More

The Oral Traditions of Hispanics

Hispanic culture is known to have strong oral traditions, expressed through storytelling, lyric poetry, riddles, jokes, folk prayers and incantations, songs, and many other formats. Samuel G. Armistead, author of Pan-Hispanic Oral Tradition, defines oral tradition as “any manifestation of folk culture that includes the use of language. Creativity, ongoing evolution, and chronological depth are also essential factors.” The University … Read More

3 Ways to Connect Art with Literacy for Preschool

Lectura Books – 3 Ways to Connect Art with Literacy for Preschool 1. Preschoolers are highly visual creatures. They are engaged through sight as much as they are through touch. Bright colors and shiny objects are just some of the items that capture their attention and engage their imagination. By contrast, getting them to understand the basics of literacy can … Read More

Helpful Resources for English Learners in Florida

The state of Florida had 277,802 ELL students in their public school system as of 2012-2013. That figure represents just over 10% of the children enrolled in grades K-12. The largest concentration of ELLs is found in Dade County with an estimated 66,497 students. Among the state’s ELL population, 72% speak Spanish, with Haitian, Portuguese, Arabic, and Vietnamese rounding out … Read More

Where are All the English Learners?

English Language Learners – ELLs English Language Learners (ELLs) are the fastest growing section of the U.S. student population today. The National Council of Teachers of English shares that “ELLs now comprise 10.5 percent of the nation’s K–12 enrollment, up from 5 percent in 1990.” While ELLs are a diverse group of students who have varying socio-economic standing and language … Read More

What are the New Rules for ELLs in NYC Schools?

In 2016, the New York City Department of Education set forth new standards and rules for English language instruction in all schools. These new rules were intended to guarantee additional language instruction and support to New York’s growing ELL population but, unfortunately, as Parent Herald puts it, “New York schools are having a difficult time implementing these rules.” Read on to learn … Read More