Essential education reporting across America

English language learners

A student puts their head on a desk with a pencil in his hand. A pile of books is seen off to one side.
From Chalkbeat New York Special education
64% of NYC’s bilingual special education students didn’t get all of their services last year
“It is unconscionable that the city has yet to fully close the gaps for immigrants with disabilities,” one advocate said.
By Alex Zimmerman
 
Two men wearing suits walk in a crowded hallway with a chandalier in the backdrop.
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Politics & Policy
Tennessee House speaker proposes task force to look into rejecting federal education funds
Schwinn would chair panel and report back by Dec. 1
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
The United States Supreme Court building is reflected in a pool of water as it stands in the background of the image.
Diversity & Equity Diversity & Equity
The racist idea that changed American education
50 years ago, a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision was shaped by the racist idea that poor children can’t learn.
By Matt Barnum
 
man wearing a business suit stands at a podium
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Special education
Tennessee is talking about rejecting federal education funding. What would that mean for kids?
From students with disabilities to schools serving disadvantaged students, ‘there’s just a lot of uncertainty’
By Marta W. Aldrich
 
A Harbor Heights middle school sign above a green tile floor.
From Chalkbeat New York English language learners
Proposed merger of bilingual Washington Heights middle school sparks parent concerns
Harbor Heights Middle School, which had just over 100 students before the pandemic, dropped to an enrollment of around 60 students this year.
By Michael Elsen-Rooney
 
A poster with different faces and the Arabic word for them is on the classroom door of Dr. Moghazy’s class. Students on the left are walking out as class ends.
From Chalkbeat Colorado Chalkbeat En Español
Tras el éxito de su programa de español, esta escuela de Denver ofrece ahora clases en árabe
Las clases de idioma ayudan a los estudiantes de Denver a hablar con sus abuelos, leer literatura y conseguir trabajo .
By Yesenia Robles
 
A multicolored speech bubble made up of speech bubbles.
From Chalkbeat New York Chalkbeat En Español
Perder mi español es como perder parte de quien soy
A veces necesito Google Translate solo para poder conversar con mi mamá.
By Ashally De La Cruz
 
A man, Mohamed Moghazy, is standing in front of a desk where two teen girls are sitting. The girls have their hands out, palms up, and he is writing in the palm of their hands in henna.
From Chalkbeat Colorado English language learners
One Denver teacher is growing a new Arabic program, teaching language and culture
If successful, the teacher wants to follow the path laid out by the Spanish language arts program at the school.
By Yesenia Robles
 
Several children play on a green and yellow outdoor play structure in Chicago.
From Chalkbeat Chicago School Enrollment
Illinois preliminary data shows public school enrollment declined again this year
Illinois public schools saw a 1.7% drop in enrollment this school year, according to data from Dec. 14. But the number of English learners is growing.
By Samantha Smylie
 
A crowd of students gathers outside a gray concrete high school building.
From Chalkbeat New York COVID and Schools
After COVID paused Regents exams, graduation rates for NYC’s English language learners surged
Data obtained by Chalkbeat suggests that the temporary policy change — first canceling the English Regents and then not requiring a passing score to graduate — made it easier for English language learners to earn their diplomas.
By Reema Amin
 
A woman in glasses and a sweatshirt smiles in a classroom. Students can be seen in the background.
From Chalkbeat Colorado Chalkbeat En Español
Martha Urioste, la ‘Madrina de Montessori’ en Denver, luchó por la educación bilingüe
“Siempre estaba asegurando que siempre fuéramos más lejos, hiciéramos más y nos esforzáramos más por los niños.”
By Melanie Asmar
 
A woman in glasses and a sweatshirt smiles in a classroom. Students can be seen in the background.
From Chalkbeat Colorado Diversity & Equity
Martha Urioste remembered for fighting for bilingual education, bringing Montessori to Denver public schools
“She was always making sure we went further, tried harder, did better for kids.”
By Melanie Asmar
 
A young student kneels on a mat playing with multicolored toys
From Chalkbeat New York Early Childhood Education
For first time, NYC’s subsidized child care program will open to undocumented families
The $10 million initiative aims to help the influx of asylum-seeking families from South America who have come to New York City over the past several months. Previously, undocumented familes were not eligible for subsized child care.
By Reema Amin
 
A close up of red, yellow, green, and blue educational materials.
From Chalkbeat Indiana English language learners
Indiana Department of Education wants to double the funding for English language learners in next state budget
Indiana’s English learner population has increased by 52% over the last five years.
By Aleksandra Appleton
 
Students raise their fingers in a classroom together, all wearing protective masks.
From Chalkbeat Indiana English language learners
New program will pay for Indiana teachers to earn license to teach English language learners
Teachers who oversee English learners’ language development are critically needed in Indiana.
By Aleksandra Appleton
 
People stand in a school gymnasium full of tables and supplies to give away to families.
From Chalkbeat New York English language learners
‘All-hands-on-deck’: A Queens charter school welcomes 70 asylum-seeking students
At VOICE, the new arrivals profoundly reshaped the school almost overnight.
By Michael Elsen-Rooney
 
Migrants from Venezuela stand outside of a hotel in suburban Burr Ridge, Illinois.
From Chalkbeat Chicago English language learners
Nearly 3,700 migrants have been bused to Chicago from Texas. 425 are school-aged children.
Migrant students have enrolled in Chicago Public Schools and 11 different suburban districts. In Chicago, teachers are raising concerns about declining numbers of bilingual staff and lack of translated curricula.
By Becky Vevea
 
NYC_20221004_HochulZeldin_GettyImages.jpg
From Chalkbeat New York Charters & Choice
Where do Hochul and Zeldin stand on education?
There are still many open questions about how both would approach policy for schools.
By Reema Amin
 
A student, wearing a yellow sweater, writes on a whiteboard that hangs on a bright yellow wall.
From Chalkbeat Indiana English language learners
Some Indiana schools may be failing to meet staffing rules for English learner students
Indiana reported an 8.5 percentage point drop in reading scores on state tests among third graders learning English.
By Aleksandra Appleton
 
Students walk ouside a school building
From Chalkbeat New York Diversity & Equity
NYC sends $12 million to schools serving newcomers. The city’s budget watchdog says they’re owed more.
Many of the students are asylum seekers who have arrived recently from South American countries.
By Alex Zimmerman
 
A masked teacher leans over to help a masked middle school student looking at a laptop.
From Chalkbeat Colorado English language learners
English-learner, special education teacher training program in Colorado gets boost
The program will work with more districts to train teachers.
By Yesenia Robles
 
A line of students wait outside a school, with some students along a wall and others along a chain link fence.
From Chalkbeat New York English language learners
New York City grapples with influx of new asylum-seeking students
Educators have reported myriad challenges at the schools, including a shortage of Spanish-speaking staff.
By Reema Amin
 
A child with dark hair and a blue shirt wearing headphones watches a screen on a laptop while sitting.
From Chalkbeat Indiana Politics & Policy
3 takeaways from Indiana lawmakers’ hearing on funding for English learners, kids in poverty
Funding for schools with fewer students who live in poverty has increased faster than funding for schools with more such students, one group said.
By Aleksandra Appleton
 
Two women teachers interact with four preschool students in their classroom
From Chalkbeat Tennessee Diversity & Equity
How a bilingual preschool is trying to close Memphis’ literacy gap
Su Casa Preschool aims to provide quality early childhood education to Spanish-speaking immigrant children
By Samantha West
 
A student answers a question on a test using a pencil.
From Chalkbeat New York Assessment and testing
NYC test scores drop in math, increase in reading
The scores are the first measure of how students across the five boroughs have fared in reading and math since the coronavirus pandemic.
By Reema Amin
 
Three adults in masks stand behind a table with children seated and eating.
From Chalkbeat New York English language learners
NYC schools lays out plan to enroll hundreds of asylum-seeking students
At least 1,000 new students are expected to enroll in district schools, including preschool-aged children.
By Reema Amin
 
A group of women stand outside an elementary school. They hold signs that say “Don’t Close Our School,” “Colfax is Our Family,” and “DPS, Please Listen” in Spanish.
From Chalkbeat Colorado English language learners
Denver bilingual programs face a threat: not enough students
High housing costs and falling birth rates are driving down school enrollment in Denver’s historically Latino neighborhoods, making it harder to fill some bilingual classrooms.
By Melanie Asmar
 
A little girl wearing jeans, a sweatshirt, and a hair bow holds a cardboard sign. In black marker, it says “Ser Bilingüe Es Mi Superpoder,” which means “Being Bilingual is my Superpower.”
From Chalkbeat Colorado Chalkbeat En Español
Programas bilingües de Denver enfrentan problemas por muy pocos estudiantes y amenaza de cierres
Los altos costos de vivienda y la reducción en tasas de natalidad están reduciendo la matrícula escolar en las comunidades históricamente latinas de Denver, y esto hace más difícil llenar algunos salones bilingües.
By Melanie Asmar
 
Students walk through the lobby of P.S. 89, with ornate murals on the walls and light blue doors.
From Chalkbeat New York COVID Stimulus
Most NYC schools are losing funding. See what’s happening at your school.
Chalkbeat created a lookup tool examining changes to Fair Student Funding, a major source of funding for schools.
By Reema Amin and Thomas Wilburn
 
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From Chalkbeat New York COVID Stimulus
NYC budget deal cuts school funding amid declining enrollment
Schools will see less money in new budget deal, but Mayor Eric Adams says they’re not cuts. Instead, he sees the funding as reflecting the decreased student population.
By Reema Amin
 
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