https://www.colorincolorado.org/feeds/ellnews.xml en https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/anti-dei-efforts-reshape-how-states-serve-english-learners/2026/06 State education agency leaders whose work focuses on English learners have increasingly found themselves balancing the need to uphold these students’ federal civil rights while also navigating anti-DEI policies and politics. That tension is reshaping how states design, describe, and defend programs serving the nation’s more than 5 million multilingual learners. Mon, 13 Jul 2026 14:44:31 EDT Colorin Colorado https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/anti-dei-efforts-reshape-how-states-serve-english-learners/2026/06 https://www.pbs.org/newshour/classroom/daily-news-lessons/2026/07/america-250-a-students-series-on-a-nation-in-progress As the United States commemorates the 250th anniversary of its founding, America 250: a nation in progress invites students to explore the events and ideas that have shaped the nation over the past two and a half centuries. Through highlighting stories that celebrate America's achievements while examining its ongoing challenges, this student-led series encourages thoughtful reflection on the country's history, values, and future. Mon, 13 Jul 2026 14:43:21 EDT Colorin Colorado https://www.pbs.org/newshour/classroom/daily-news-lessons/2026/07/america-250-a-students-series-on-a-nation-in-progress https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/english-learners-show-growth-gains-still-below-pre-pandemic/2026/06 For the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, English learners’ average English-language proficiency test scores did not decline. Instead, they held steady or ticked up in most grades. And while average scores from the 2024-25 school year remain below pre-pandemic levels, long-term growth shows students are starting to rebound. Mon, 13 Jul 2026 14:42:13 EDT Colorin Colorado https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/english-learners-show-growth-gains-still-below-pre-pandemic/2026/06 https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/federal-grant-cuts-for-english-learners-face-lawsuit/2026/06 The Southern Poverty Law Center, the Lawyers’ Committee for Rhode Island, the National Education Association (on behalf of its members), and researchers have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education over the discontinuation of 28 grants intended to train teachers working with English learners. Thu, 09 Jul 2026 11:11:06 EDT Colorin Colorado https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/federal-grant-cuts-for-english-learners-face-lawsuit/2026/06 https://theconversation.com/reading-for-pleasure-builds-empathy-in-children-but-fewer-kids-are-picking-up-books-just-for-the-fun-of-it-285784 When children become immersed in a book series on their own, in particular, it can help them develop connections with characters they grow to know, love or scorn. They inhabit a character who isn’t them. They sit with an idea long enough to understand why someone acts the way they do. Feeling emotionally invested in a character’s decisions can also influence how young readers decide how to engage with others and treat people with civility and kindness in real life. This skill doesn’t arrive automatically with age. Thu, 09 Jul 2026 11:06:40 EDT Colorin Colorado https://theconversation.com/reading-for-pleasure-builds-empathy-in-children-but-fewer-kids-are-picking-up-books-just-for-the-fun-of-it-285784 https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/big-changes-to-federal-grants-are-coming-what-they-could-mean-for-schools/2026/07 The Trump administration is advancing a sweeping set of regulatory changes that, if implemented, could permanently destabilize how schools and educators receive and spend federal dollars. The proposed revisions to what’s known as the federal government’s “uniform grants guidance,” managed by the White House Office of Management and Budget, have garnered widespread blowback, including from lawmakers, researchers, and education advocates. Thu, 09 Jul 2026 10:54:36 EDT Colorin Colorado https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/big-changes-to-federal-grants-are-coming-what-they-could-mean-for-schools/2026/07 https://edsource.org/2026/california-bilingual-teacher-shortage/761499 California’s audacious goal of having half of all K-12 students enrolled in bilingual education programs by 2030 has encountered one big stumbling block — there aren’t enough qualified bilingual teachers. To help remedy that, a $10 million grant tucked in the state budget aims to help school districts recruit high school students as future bilingual teachers. Thu, 09 Jul 2026 10:41:39 EDT Colorin Colorado https://edsource.org/2026/california-bilingual-teacher-shortage/761499 https://www.chalkbeat.org/2026/07/06/iowa-restricts-undocumented-students-from-career-technical-education-courses/ Most Iowa school districts have quietly agreed to exclude undocumented high school students from certain federally funded career and technical education programming, according to records obtained by Chalkbeat. Thu, 09 Jul 2026 10:34:01 EDT Colorin Colorado https://www.chalkbeat.org/2026/07/06/iowa-restricts-undocumented-students-from-career-technical-education-courses/ https://www.edutopia.org/article/evaluating-educational-apps-distractions-checklist Since most teachers do not have the time to read long research studies on apps or spend hours researching a new app, we developed a quick, 15-minute guide that helps teachers to screen apps for distraction risks, using research-informed practices. Thu, 09 Jul 2026 10:16:27 EDT Colorin Colorado https://www.edutopia.org/article/evaluating-educational-apps-distractions-checklist https://www.slj.com/story/60-middle-grade-and-hi-lo-titles-for-every-type-of-reader-slj-2026-stars-so-far These picks include new entries from middle grade favorites, such as Tae Keller, Gordon Korman, and Erin Entrada Kelly. Thu, 09 Jul 2026 10:14:55 EDT Colorin Colorado https://www.slj.com/story/60-middle-grade-and-hi-lo-titles-for-every-type-of-reader-slj-2026-stars-so-far