The state of New Mexico has 53,071 students enrolled in grades K-12, making up just 16.1% of the school population. Within this group Spanish is spoken by a large majority with Navajo, Nias, German, and Vietnamese making up the top five languages currently spoken by non-English speaking students. The state has also adopted the English language development framework of WIDA. … Read More
Helping Young Children by Reaching Out to Parents with Books
Generally, children who are exposed to language and reading at a very young age are more likely to have a chance to excel in their educational pursuits. The New York Times (NYT) shares that Nobel Prize-winning economist James Heckman said, “The greatest barrier to college education is not high tuitions or the risk of student debt; it’s in the skills … 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
Useful Support Resources for ELL Students in New York
In the state of New York, ELL enrollment was 237,499 students in the state public school system in 2012-2013, making up over 14% of the classroom population. 61% of all ELL students in the state speak Spanish, with Chinese, Arabic, Bengali, and Haitian representing the next four most common spoken languages at 19% combined. The following is a list of … Read More
The Seal of Biliteracy Initiative
The Seal of Biliteracy is an award given to bilingual students upon high school graduation. The Seal of Biliteracy Initiative began in California and has now been adopted in 17 states, with more in progress. The national Seal of Biliteracy site states that: “The Seal of Biliteracy is an award given by a school, school district, or county office of … Read More
Reading Aloud to English Learners
Reading is a vital function of teaching ELLs, but reading aloud can be an enriching strategy for keeping students engaged in the components of becoming fluent in the language for many classrooms. By reading to students, instructors can stress the importance of vocabulary, reading comprehension, and foster positive progress towards fluency in the language, while making the learning experience fun … Read More
Growing Family Trend: Grandparents Raising Children
Children who are being raised not by their own biological parents, but by grandparents who have taken them in for a wide array of heartbreaking and troubling reasons, come from households as disparate and unique as the neighborhoods and ethnic groups in which they live. It’s a trend that some experts believe will only continue to rise in light of … Read More
Instructions for Teachers Working with ELLs
Classrooms throughout the United States are reflecting an increasing collection of students from diversified backgrounds, as an estimated 11.2 million limited English proficient children are now enrolled in classes from grades K-12. With such a large segment of the school population at often widely disparate levels of English language comprehension, it has become crucial that teachers are cognizant of the … Read More
See What English Learner Students Say About Their Parents
See What English Learner Students Say About Their Parents Kids have a lot to say about their parents who attend The Latino Family Literacy Project™. They LOVE reading with their parents, and they LOVE learning new words and building stronger reading skills. Parents who speak Spanish are often at a loss when it comes to with reading with their children, … Read More