ELs With Disabilities

Photo of teacher and blind student using braille slate.
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English Learners English Learners With Disabilities: The Rules Schools Have to Follow
Schools can't force English learners with disabilities to choose between special ed. and language instruction—and other tips from OCR.
Ileana Najarro, November 14, 2024
4 min read
Photo of a young student solving a math problem with a notebook while watching a help video on a monitor and listening with headphones.
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English Learners English Learners with Disabilities Lack Consistent State Support
An analysis of state education agencies' resources on English learners with disabilities found room for improvement.
Ileana Najarro, July 3, 2024
4 min read
An elementary student reads independently during class.
Allison Shelley/EDUimages
English Learners The Problem Schools Have Accurately Identifying English Learners
A U.S. Government Accountability Office report examines how states and districts are identifying English learners.
Ileana Najarro, June 28, 2024
3 min read
Classroom materials show the days of the week and months of the year in Spanish in a dual-language class at UCLA Community School.
Classroom materials show the days of the week and months of the year in Spanish in a dual-language class at UCLA Community School.
Allison Shelley/EDUimages
English Learners Why Teachers of English Learners With Disabilities Need Specialized Training
An expert discusses what comprehensive training works best for teachers working with students who are English learners with disabilities.
Ileana Najarro, June 25, 2024
3 min read
Special Education K-12 Essentials Forum Innovative Approaches to Special Education
Join this free virtual event to explore innovations in the evolving landscape of special education.
June 20, 2024
Student trying to navigate a landscape of a different language
Nicole Xu for Education Week
English Learners ‘A Unique Challenge’: What English Learners With Disabilities Need
From language barriers to bilingual education program lockouts, dual-identified students face unique challenges researchers say.
Ileana Najarro, May 13, 2024
7 min read
Waist-up view of early 30s teacher sitting with 11 year old Hispanic student at library round table and holding book as she pronounces the words.
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English Learners How Special Ed. and English-Learner Teachers Can Collaborate: A Guide
School and district leaders share how they got two departments to more deeply collaborate to support their students.
Ileana Najarro, October 19, 2023
4 min read
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Quiz Yourself: How Much Do You Know About Literacy Instruction for English Learners?
Answer 7 questions about literacy for English Learners.
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Young girl with teacher learning sign language.
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English Learners How to Identify and Serve English Learners with Disabilities
When it comes to identifying and serving English learners with disabilities, there are various nuances at play.
Ileana Najarro, September 7, 2023
4 min read
English Learners On Bilingualism, Bias, and Immigration: Our Top English-Learner Stories of 2019
Education Week's top English-language learner stories on 2019 explored who's teaching the nation's English-learners and the struggles those educators encounter on the job, how the Trump administration's immigration policies affected students and their families and examined why more schools in the United States are embracing bilingualism.
Corey Mitchell, December 31, 2019
2 min read
English Learners Ways to Better Serve Often-Misunderstood English-Learners With Disabilities
Identifying and supporting students who are eligible for English-language acquisition and special education support can leave teachers feeling underprepared and overwhelmed. A new policy paper offers support.
Corey Mitchell, July 31, 2019
2 min read
English Learners Evaluating English-Learners for Special Education Is a Challenge. Here's Help
Two new resources aim to help educators determine whether English-learners' struggles in schools stem from learning disabilities. Experts say educators often struggle to identify these students and to steer them to the right services.
Corey Mitchell, June 18, 2019
3 min read
English Learners Itinerant English-Learners Pose Challenges for School Systems
A new study that sought to examine learning conditions across the country for long-term English-learners found that 1 in 5 of the students are highly mobile, and may not have access to consistent language support as a result.
Corey Mitchell, May 23, 2019
3 min read
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English Learners Opinion 700,000 English-Language Learners Have a Disability. We Have to Do Better by Them
By focusing on ELL students’ strengths and not their deficits, teachers can help their students thrive, writes one veteran teacher.
Rochelle Verstaendig, August 1, 2018
4 min read