Education Week鈥檚 top English-language-learner stories of 2019 explored who鈥檚 teaching the nation鈥檚 English-learners and the struggles those educators encounter on the job, examined why more schools in the United States are embracing bilingualism, and delved into how the Trump administration鈥檚 immigration policies affect students, families, and educators.
1. The Value of Bilingualism
The Truth About Bilingualism: It鈥檚 Only for Some 69传媒
The spread of the 鈥渟eal of biliteracy"鈥攁 seal affixed to the diplomas or transcripts as official proof that students can speak, read, and write in more than one language鈥攔aises a question: bilingualism for whom? English-learners and students from low-income families may be on the wrong side of an opportunity gap, with their chances to demonstrate their bilingualism restricted by their circumstances.
For more reporting and reports on the seal of biliteracy, you can read these stories:
2. English-Learners and Special Education
Overlooked: How Teacher Training Falls Short for English-Learners and 69传媒 With IEPs
Many English-learners and students with disabilities spend lots of time in general education classes, but teachers lack training in how to meet their needs.
For more reporting and reports on English-learners and special education, you can read these stories:
3. Who鈥檚 Teaching the Nation鈥檚 English-Learners?
Wanted: Teachers as Diverse as Their 69传媒
School districts try 鈥榞row your own鈥� programs develop a workforce to better mirror the student body.
For more reporting and reports on who鈥檚 teaching English-learners, you can read these stories:
4. Migrant Children and Immigration
How 69传媒 Are Responding to Migrant Children
Educators in schools across the United States work to support migrant students who鈥檝e recently arrived from Central America. But former Education Week correspondent Kavitha Cardoza found that the intensity of their needs can be a strain.
For more reporting on migrant children and immigration policies, read these stories:
Trump Administration to End Schooling, Recreation, Legal Aid for Migrant Children in Shelters
5. Bias and English-Learners
New research suggests that English-language-learner classification has a 鈥渄irect and negative effect on teachers鈥� perceptions of students鈥� academic skills.鈥�
For more reports and reporting on how bias can affect English-learners, read this story:
Photo Credit: Adrian Galvan, left, is a bilingual paraprofessional at Lyman Hall Elementary School in Hall County, Ga. He is part of program that aims to recruit teacher-candidates who reflect the ethnic and linguistic diversity of the student population.
--Nicole Craine for Education Week
Illustration by Matt Huyn