April 2, 2015
Experts weigh in on states' English language learner policies
All teachers should have at least some English learner training, report states.
Laurie Udesky
April 1, 2015
Students get extra help to cope with Common Core's new language demands
New standards may create hurdles for English-learners
Katherine Ellison
March 29, 2015
Common Core standards are 'natural next step'
Opportunity for staff to rethink how they deliver curriculum and engage kids.
EdSource staff
March 19, 2015
Districts adopting measures to assess students in earliest grades
K-2 assessments changing to adapt to the Common Core.
Michael Collier
November 21, 2014
Study: Self-regulation helps kindergartners
A new study from New York University researchers links a kindergarten program that promotes “executive functions” – such as self-control, paying attention and planning – with academic improvements that persist beyond kindergarten.
Erin Brownfield
September 23, 2014
Report focuses attention on English learners
As accountability for student progress in California becomes more local, a new report by advocacy group EdTrust-West focuses on how school districts can better educate their English learners, who comprise nearly one in four students in the state.
Susan Frey
July 31, 2014
Importance of talking to infants now on TV
The message that it’s critically important to later learning for parents and caregivers to speak, sing and read to young children has hit prime time. Two popular TV shows, Netflix’s “Orange Is the New Black” and ABC’s “The Fosters,” have recently featured characters talking about the cognitive gains that come from talking to children.
Lillian Mongeau
July 29, 2014
Bilingual education could make a comeback
After nearly two decades, bilingual education in California could be about to stage a resurgence. Since the passage of Proposition 227 in 1998, it has been illegal to teach public school children in a language other than English without express permission from their parents, among other requirements. That could be about to change.
Lillian Mongeau
July 24, 2014
Feds back English learner lawsuit against state
The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California has found an ally in the U.S. Department of Justice for its lawsuit charging that the state abdicated its obligation to ensure all students classified as English learners get extra instructional services to become fluent in English.
John Fensterwald
August 5, 2013
From libraries to laundromats: Ingenious community partnerships promote literacy
Galvanized by a national reading campaign, communities across California are launching innovative partnerships that are resulting in new early literacy programs in schools, libraries and even laundromats. “There’s a lot of books here, really good books,” said 9-year-old Melanie Garcia-Macia, who sat with her back to a big red bookshelf at the end of a long line of washing machines at the Clean Express Coin Laundry in Richmond one recent Wednesday. A copy of “The Night Before Christmas” was splayed open on her lap.