ELL Student Resources and Support in New Mexico

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

Recent Press in Texas about ELL Parent Programs

Texarkana Gazette October 29, 2016 LEARNING TOGETHER: Local program reaches out to Latino parents and children to teach language skills October 29th, 2016, by Jennifer Middleton in Texarkana NewsRead. See All Press for The Latino Family Literacy Project Mindy Basurto leads a discussion about “Graciela’s Dream,” a book in English and Spanish that lays out necessary information about applying for … Read More

The Changes in Parent Involvement Expectations Over 40 Years

The importance of education cannot be overstated. The annual American Education Week (AEW) that takes place every November is a reminder of the vital role getting an education plays in this country. The week was founded in 1921 by the National Education Association after it was discovered that 25% of World War I draftees lacked an ability to read. Among the many … 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

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

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

Links and Resources for English Language Learners in Washington

The state of Washington has an ELL population of 107,307 students in the public school system. With a total enrollment of 1,051,694, ELLs make up just over 10% of the students enrolled in grades K-12. The five languages spoken by ELLs are Spanish, followed by Russian, Vietnamese, Somali, and Chinese. The following is a list of useful resources and programs … Read More