Tag: english

Richard Lederer celebrates “the most impressive collective achievement of our civilization”This year marks the 90th anniversary of the greatest monument ever erected to the English language. In 1857, the idea of a comprehensive “dictionary of historical principles” was first presented. On June 1, 1928, the first two complete twelve-volume sets were formally presented—one to King George V and one...

Two reports have been submitted to the U.S. Department of Education which examine the extent to which states' education plans are in step with guidance established by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) with regard to English learners (ELs). Advocacy groups UnidosUS and Achieve produced the briefs, entitled "How...

Advocacy groups are denouncing a proposed merging of the federal Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA) into the Office for Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE). Education Department officials have said that the restructuring plan would enable the Department of Education to merge English-learner support with services provided to other disadvantaged student groups.Director of the OELA José Viana explained the...

MIT study shows eye movements reveal linguistic fluency Tracing the eye movements of someone as they read in a second language may be able to create a more accurate assessment of their fluency that many traditional tests, according to researchers the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.At last week’s North American Chapter of the Association for Computational Linguistics conference in New Orleans,...

The fact that more than half of Canada’s residents have a college or university degree helps to make it a top destination for international education Canada, known for its natural beauty, diversity, inclusive values, and high standard of living, is internationally recognized as one of the best countries to live and study in. Its popularity as an international study destination...

Yet another study has shown that increasing access to books improves student outcomes “Reaching Families Where They Are: Examining an Innovative Book Distribution Program,” published in Urban Education, examines a community-wide effort to promote greater access to books through the mechanisms of physical and psychological proximity. It addresses the seasonal summer slide through an innovative book distribution program in neighborhoods...

After years of research suggesting that the “critical period” to learn ends before the age of 10, an enormous new study of well over half a million learners suggests that children remain very skilled at learning the grammar of a new language much longer than expected—up to the age of 17 or 18. However, the study also found that...

 Today is a big day, with three coinciding celebrations all at once. World Book Day is a celebration of authors, books, and most importantly, reading. According to their website, it is “the biggest celebration of its kind, designated by UNESCO as a worldwide celebration of books and reading, and marked in over 100 countries all over the world.” There...

TESOL International Association has released a “set of universal guidelines drawn from decades of research in language pedagogy and language acquisition theory.” The 6 Principles for Exemplary Teaching of English Learners are “targets for teaching excellence” designed to support any English language instruction program. "TESOL embarked on this project because we recognized the need for a practical, guiding set...

Without any prior discussion, the Michigan House of Representatives has passed a bill, HB 4053, making English as the state’s official language of government. The vote was mainly along party lines with the Republican majority in support of the move.  6% of Michigan residents are immigrants but 11% of its healthcare workers were born abroad The bill requires that English be the...