Essential education reporting across America

English-language learners

A teenage male student wearing a white shirt, dark pants, and a backpack stands in the doorway of Kingsbury High School in Memphis.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Shelby County Schools
A Memphis neighborhood rallies around its troubled high school
Memphis-Shelby County Schools wants a “fresh start” at Kingsbury High School. The community says it wants to be heard.
By Samantha West
 
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From Chalkbeat New York English-language learners
NYC to expand transfer high schools to help English language learners
NYC education officials plan to expand transfer high schools to serve those students, using a Bronx school as one model.
By Reema Amin
 
A classroom with blue chairs sits empty.
From Chalkbeat New York Diversity & Equity
What the education panel’s rejection of NYC’s funding formula means for schools
The vote is unlikely to have an immediate impact on school budgets, but delays in approving a formula could hamper principals’ ability to plan and hire staff.
By Reema Amin and Alex Zimmerman
 
Men and women wearing suits sit behind desks in a large legislative chamber.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Politics & Policy
Tennessee governor’s education funding overhaul passes legislature
The goal is more funding for students with costlier needs, but will it be enough?
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
A student, wearing a yellow sweater, writes on a whiteboard that hangs on a bright yellow wall.
Teaching & Classroom Teaching & Classroom
Remote learning made it challenging for English learners to practice speaking skills. This district is finding ways to help.
Schools are rearranging furniture, trying new activities, and offering teachers training on ways they can add more speaking practice into their lessons.
By Kalyn Belsha
 
Two women sit on the floor and play with young children in a preschool classroom decorated with flags of many nations. The woman near the front of the image interacts with two boys playing with a truck. The sit around a floor puzzle of the solar system.
From Chalkbeat Colorado Early Childhood
Colorado refugee women earn early childhood degrees, bring special skills to the classroom
These early childhood teachers already speak six languages. Now they’re earning credentials, helping their community, and living their dreams.
By Amanda Horvath and Alexis Kikoen
 
An English teacher chats about “The Crucible” with her class at ELLIS Prep Academy in the Bronx, a transfer school that serves immigrant students.
From Chalkbeat New York English-language learners
Advocates seek more school programming for NYC’s newcomer immigrants
Immigration advocates say that public schools can be “largely inaccessible” for thousands of immigrant students.
By Reema Amin
 
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From Chalkbeat New York COVID Stimulus
NYC schools have spent just half of this year’s COVID relief, report says
With the end of the school year approaching, NYC schools have spent just about half of this year’s COVID relief, according to a comptroller report.
By Reema Amin
 
Three men sit at a desk in a classroom.
From Chalkbeat Colorado En Español
Clases de inglés práctico atraen a cientos de personas a universidad en Denver
El Community College de Denver ha cambiado su programa de inglés como segundo idioma para dar clases de inglés a estudiantes y ayudarles a conseguir empleo.
By Jason Gonzales
 
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From Chalkbeat New York Community & Wraparound Programs
Summer jobs for all — except NYC’s undocumented youth
Mayor Eric Adams wants to give summer jobs to all youth who want one. But undocumented youth can’t participate in the program.
By Reema Amin
 
A woman stands in front of a white marker board and a group of students in a classroom.
From Chalkbeat Colorado College and career readiness
Words to know: Practical English classes draw hundreds to Denver college’s courses
The Community College of Denver has changed its English as a second language program to teach students English that can help them land jobs.
By Jason Gonzales
 
High school students role play a restorative justice seminar with their counselor in this Chalkbeat file photo.
From Chalkbeat Newark Mental health services
N.J. immigrant students face barriers to mental health aid. What needs to change?
An advocacy group’s report points to lack of bilingual staff and COVID as big issues.
By Catherine Carrera
 
A special education student reaches a hand out for a block, held by his teacher.
From Chalkbeat Colorado Adams 14 School District
Complaint: English learners with special needs didn’t get mandated services
Adams 14 is responding to the latest complaint from the Office for Civil Rights.
By Yesenia Robles
 
Parents and young children wearing masks and winter coats wait outside a school building on a snowy day.
From Chalkbeat Colorado Adams 14 School District
Advocates want Colorado to translate all non-English public comment
As Colorado solicits input about the fate of low-performing schools, advocates want to ensure non-English comments will be heard.
By Yesenia Robles
 
A teacher grades papers in an empty classroom.
From Chalkbeat Chicago Teacher training
Illinois hopes a $4 million grant will strengthen the bilingual teacher pipeline
The Illinois state board of education will use federal coronavirus relief funds to support bilingual teachers who want to earn a state license
By Samantha Smylie
 
A man in a suit stands at a lectern.
From Chalkbeat New York School segregation / integration
11th-hour changes may be coming to NYC’s high school admissions
David Banks noted that the process at some of the city’s coveted “screened” schools is a lottery this year, which has resulted in backlash from parents of students with high grades.
By Reema Amin and Christina Veiga
 
First grade teacher Nancy Carbajal at Dupont Elementary School in Adams 14 listens as students practice reading in Spanish. (Photo by Yesenia Robles, Chalkbeat)
From Chalkbeat Colorado En Español
Las escuelas de Colorado recibieron más dinero para los estudiantes que están aprendiendo inglés. ¿En qué se está usando?
El estado no está monitoreando cómo los distritos usan los fondos, y tampoco obligándolos a usar el dinero para su propósito.
By Yesenia Robles
 
Art teacher Elizabeth Velasquez begins a Zoom class in her empty classroom. The chairs are stacked neatly on desks as she sits at a small desk in the front of the dark classroom.
From Chalkbeat New York The Comeback
NYC schools received a windfall in relief dollars. Some are struggling to spend it.
Tutoring and enrichment programs require finding staff to work extra hours in a moment when educators feel overworked.
By Reema Amin
 
Back view of a standing teacher using an overhead projector that shows her hand writing as she reviews a worksheet.
From Chalkbeat Colorado English-language learners
How Colorado districts are — and aren’t — spending extra money for English learners
Colorado schools have extra money for English learners, but not all districts are using the funds to do more for students.
By Yesenia Robles
 
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From Chalkbeat New York Student & School Performance
Bucking national trends, NYC’s 2021 graduation rates inched up as state eased requirements
By Reema Amin and Alex Zimmerman
 
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From Chalkbeat New York English-language learners
Non-English speaking parents turn to WhatsApp, community groups when COVID translations fall short
By Reema Amin
 
A view looking down at a group of four students sitting on the floor in a circle as one of the students holds a book titled, “Quién Ganará?” with a picture of a lion and tiger showing their teeth. Another student holds a thumbs-up pose.
From Chalkbeat Newark English-language learners
Newark outlines promises to English learners who struggled during the pandemic
The Newark Board of Education approved a resolution outlining promises to English learners, including steps to find students who “lost contact” with the district during the pandemic.
By Catherine Carrera
 
A teacher stands with four graduating seniors who are wearing blue and white graduation gowns.
From Chalkbeat Colorado How I Teach
Accidental teacher: The zigzag path from PE sub to award-winning educator
Colorado teacher Christina Mendoza tells how she incorporates her grandpa’s army experience into lessons and what she learned from tribal elders.
By Ann Schimke
 
A man gestures while speaking, as a woman looks on in an office setting.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Budget & finance
Does Tennessee’s education funding blueprint deliver on governor’s promises? Maybe, but ‘the devil’s in the details’
A blueprint to revamp education funding appears to align with Gov. Bill Lee’s pledge to consider each student’s needs. But how much more money would be added?
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
Students sit reading around a classroom reading on their own.
From Chalkbeat Colorado Aurora Public Schools
This Colorado bilingual educator left school in fifth grade. Now she is passionate about helping students learn.
Guillermina McLean was recognized by the Colorado Association for Bilingual Education.
By Yesenia Robles
 
File photo of first graders reading at Paris Elementary, an innovation school in Aurora.
From Chalkbeat Colorado En Español
Esta paraeducadora bilingüe de Colorado dejó la escuela en quinto grado. Ahora le apasiona ayudar a los estudiantes a aprender.
Guillermina McLean fue reconocida como paraeducadora del año por la Asociación de Educación Bilingüe de Colorado.
By Yesenia Robles
 
Students wearing coats walk in a line behind a teacher who faces them, in front of a brick school house that houses University Prep in Denver.
From Chalkbeat Colorado Charter schools
Adams 14 board approves opening University Prep charter school
The Adams 14 board voted to approve a charter school from Denver-based University Prep, but rejected Community Leadership Academy’s ask to be part of the district.
By Yesenia Robles
 
A sign in a bilingual classroom at Harrison Hill Elementary School explains the goals of the school’s dual language program. Some IPS parents want to see policies that would add more bilingual staff to schools in order to better allow families to engage in day-to-day communication.
From Chalkbeat Indiana English-language learners
How IPS is reaching bilingual families — and what parents want to see next
Bilingual staff can mean the difference when parents call to report their students’ absences, seek information from the school nurse, or speak to teachers.
By Aleksandra Appleton
 
Student holds a pencil to a notebook placed on a desk.
From Chalkbeat Chicago Assessment and testing
Chicago third graders see declines in math and reading scores on state test
Fewer than 1 in 5 Chicago third graders met state standards in reading and math on a standardized exam in spring of 2021.
By Cassie Walker Burke and Samantha Smylie
 
An ESL classroom at QIRT, where 26.2 percent of students are in an ESL program. The borough of Queens has the highest number of ELL students, at 29.9 percent.
From Chalkbeat New York English-language learners
NYC expands translation of special education plans, but onus still on parents with limited English to request it
Even as advocates said the centralized process is a step in the right direction, the burden is still on families to request that the documents be translated.
By Alex Zimmerman
 
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