The Economist
22 August 2020
Text / Under 800 Words
Denmark
The border between Denmark and Germany was highly politicized and when it was set, Germans found themselves in Denmark and Danes found themselves in Germany. Each country is required to offer regional schools taught in the other language and some Germans have decided to send their children to Danish schools and vice versa. Over the years this has led to cultural exchanges and better relationships between the groups. It can be hard to convince Germans to learn Danish because there are just about 5.5 million native speakers, and young Danes now prefer to learn English over German.
http://www.opb.org/radio/programs/thinkoutloud/segment/live-from-woodburn-high-school
Dave Miller
Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB)
9 March 2016
Radio / Over 15 Minutes
The four academies that make up Woodburn High have exceeded the Oregon state average by double digits for two years in a row, despite high poverty rates. What's driving the school's success?
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/10/opinion/sunday/how-to-fix-the-countrys-failing-schools-and-how-not-to.html
David L. Kirp
The New York Times
9 January 2016
Text / 800-1500 Words
Newark, N.J., had major politicians and investments try to "flip" its school system; the much smaller Union City had teachers and parents. The solution was no silver bullet—just the slow and steady approach of gradual improvement.
http://www.buffalonews.com/city-region/schools/could-a-new-vision-help-lafayette-high-schools-immigrant-students-succeed-20140714
Sandra Tan
The Buffalo News
14 July 2014
Text / Over 3000 Words
Better teacher training and strategic programming for non-English speakers could turn things around in high schools with large immigrant populations.
http://www.slate.com/articles/life/tomorrows_test/2016/06/how_the_ka_papahana_kaiapuni_immersion_schools_saved_the_hawaiian_language.html
Alexandria Neason
Slate
8 June 2016
Text / 1500-3000 Words
With the emphasis on teaching English in American public schools, many non-English speaking students can lose the language of their family’s heritage. Hawaii has “language-immersion schools” that teaches children the native Hawaiian language until about fifth grade and then English is introduced. While the schools have preserved the native tongue and its cultural values, there are still challenges for students who face competition in English-dominated secondary education and the job market.
http://www.pri.org/stories/2015-07-20/wanted-bilingual-teachers-and-heres-how-one-school-filling-gap
Kate McGee
Public Radio International (PRI)
20 July 2015
Radio / 3-5 Minutes
Laws make it mandatory for schools with more than twenty English Language Learners (ELLs) in a single grade to have bilingual teachers to support them. One Texas school takes an initiative to find more bilingual teachers for their students as the non-English speaker becomes a more common student in their classroom.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/01/education/edlife/international-students-find-the-american-dream-in-flint.html
Gordon Young
The New York Times
27 October 2015
Text / 1500-3000 Words
International students and the city of Flint, Michigan, have an imperfect but beneficial relationship. The city is a cheap and accommodating place for students to get their foot in the U.S., and the students bring their business; thus, boosting the desperate economy.
http://www.pri.org/stories/2015-06-25/language-great-equalizer-one-school-louisiana
Nina Porzucki
Public Radio International (PRI)
30 June 2015
Radio / 5-15 Minutes
A program at a public school in Baton Rouge is using bilingual education to attract middle class families back into the public school system to increase diversity among the student population.
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/10/why-des-moines-can-be-a-model-for-urban-schools/431373
Matt Vasilogambros
Mauro Whiteman
The Atlantic
8 October 2014
Multi-Media / 800-1500 Words
In the state of Iowa, refugees come from all over the world and send their children into the public school system. The Des Moines public schools serve many disadvantaged, poverty-stricken children who do not have English language skills. The school district has seen progress by coaching teachers, investing in building renovations, receiving grants for providing students with laptops and iPads, among many other healthy changes to encourage learning.
http://www.npr.org/2015/05/02/403576800/montana-offers-a-boost-to-native-language-immersion-programs
Amy Martin
NPR
2 May 2015
Radio / 3-5 Minutes
Montana, home to nine Native American languages, becomes the second state to fund indigenous language immersion programs in public schools. The same languages were once forbidden, but now they are helping to preserve a disappearing culture and closing the graduation rate gap for Native American students.
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/12/nyregion/as-other-districts-grapple-with-segregation-this-one-makes-integration-work.html?_r=0
Kyle Spencer
The New York Times
12 December 2016
Text / 1500-3000 Words
The Morris district in Northern New Jersey has long championed diversity, even as its student body has changed and nearby schools remain deeply segregated. Each elementary school in the district draws from multiple neighborhoods, with a constant open zone at the center (where the poorest families live) where students are assigned to schools in order to maintain racial and economic diversity.
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