Zaidee Stavely

Three students discuss a culture lesson during their Spanish-language class. (Allison Shelley for American Education)

What to know about California’s English learners

July 4, 2025 at 6:54 a.m.

About 1 in 3 students in California’s K-12 schools speak a language other than English at home and were not fluent in English when they first started school — 1,918,385 students — according...

Marysville Joint Unified School District runs preschool for children with and without disabilities. (courtesy photo)

Newsom prioritizes electric school buses over preschool for children with disabilities

May 29, 2024 at 6:19 a.m.

Gov. Gavin Newsom invested millions into expanding preschool for children with disabilities. Now, he’s proposing to scale it back, to invest more in electric school buses.

Bill to mandate ‘science of reading’ in California schools faces teachers union opposition

April 8, 2024 at 11:52 a.m.

California’s largest teachers union has moved to put the brakes on legislation that mandates instruction, known as the “science of reading,” that spotlights phonics to teach children to read.

California enrolls a far lower percentage of English learners in bilingual education programs than other states, according to a recent report from The Century Foundation.

California lags behind other states in bilingual education for English learners

December 1, 2023 at 6:01 a.m.

California enrolls a far lower percentage of English learners in bilingual education programs than other states, according to a report released in October from The Century Foundation.

Two students in a combined second- and third-grade class read together.

Advocates for English learners and the ‘science of reading’ sign on to joint statement

October 5, 2023 at 6:30 a.m.

English learners need foundational skills like phonics and vocabulary in addition to instruction in speaking and understanding English and connections to their home languages.

Abraham Falk-Rood, far right, teaches pronunciation for 'This Little Light of Mine' to his mixed-level phonics class during a singing activity at Rudsdale Newcomer High School in Oakland, California on January 28, 2019.

How English learners can benefit from college classes in high school

September 7, 2023 at 6:33 a.m.

High school senior Martha Hernandez was born in Baja California, Mexico, and came to the U.S. when she was 10 years old, in fifth grade. She was still considered an...

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