Need money to attend the TESOL convention? Apply for a travel grant
TESOL
Did you know that TESOL members are eligible for TESOL travel grants from US$500 to US$2,500 to support travel to the TESOL International Convention and English Language Expo? The deadline to apply for travel grants is Nov. 1. For a description of the available grants and information on how to apply, click here. For more information on TESOL's other awards and grants, please click here. If you have any questions about TESOL's awards and grants program, please contact awards@tesol.org.More

NBPTS announces public review period for English Language Arts Standards
TESOL
The National Board of Professional Teaching Standards wants to know what you think about its English Language Arts Standards for teachers of students ages 11–18 plus. The standards will be available for review through Sept. 4. For more information, and the link to the survey, click here.More

Principles and Practice of Online teaching certificate program starts in October
TESOL
Do you design and deliver courses that are run either fully or partially online? If so, TESOL has a program for you. TESOL's Principles and Practice of Online teaching certificate program is designed for online English language teachers and course designers at any level of experience. This program will help you develop the skills you need to effectively teach English language courses online or blend online learning with your traditional face-to-face courses. The program begins on Oct. 11. If you purchase the certificate package, you can save almost 10 percent. For more information, please go to the TESOL website.More

Obama administration proceeds with reform of No Child Left Behind following congressional inaction
U.S. Department of Education
With the new school year fast approaching and still no bill to reform the federal education law known as No Child Left Behind, the Obama administration will provide a process for states to seek relief from key provisions of the law, provided that they are willing to embrace education reform.More

Study finds learning gains for Title I students
Education Week
While the U.S. Department of Education warns that a majority of schools are falling behind in meeting the student-progress targets required under the No Child Left Behind Act, a new analysis suggests that students who participate in the law's largest education program, the Title I program for disadvantaged students, are making strides in mathematics and reading. More

Students' immigration status to be coded with '0' or '1' in Alabama
Education Week
Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley proudly called the state's new immigration law the "strongest immigration law in the country," but some say it goes too far. The law, signed by the governor, a Republican, in June and currently being challenged in court, still gives all students the right to enroll in schools regardless of their immigration status. But now public schools are required to report the status of each student to the state department of education. When doing this, schools will code each child a "0" or a "1".More

Muhyiddin: Review teaching of English in schools
Bernama
Malaysia: Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has ordered the English Language Curriculum Division to have a relook at the learning of the language in schools to ensure students can master it as a second language. Muhyiddin, who is also Education Minister, said he had directed Education director-general Datuk Abdul Ghafar Mahmud to carry out a review on the learning of English Language in school. Muhyiddin said the review might determine if the weakness was due to a shortage of English Language teachers, equipment or due to other causes.More

Draft content frameworks released for common standards
Education Week (commentary)
Many educators and analysts have noted that there is a lot of empty space between adopting the new common standards and testing students to gauge mastery of those standards. Now, we are starting to see efforts to fill that space. More

Parents look for best ways to raise bilingual kids
The Associated Press via The Boston Herald
One-year-old Alice Di Giovanni asks for "banane," not banana, when she's in the mood for one. She'll bid you farewell with a "ciao." And if she wants more, she says "mas." The Miami toddler is one of an increasing number of Americans living in homes where a language other than English is spoken, and her parents want her to learn as many languages as she can. So her Polish-Canadian mother speaks to her in French, her father in Italian and her Honduran nanny in Spanish. More

AUS Testing and Professional Development Center and Achievement Academy conclude Summer Youth Program
AME Info
United Arab Emirates: The American University of Sharjah Testing and Professional Development Center and the Achievement Academy Outreach Program recently concluded their first Summer Youth Program. The program was organized for high school students in 10th- through 12th-grade to equip them with English language, Test of English as a Foreign Language and SAT skills, while they gain firsthand experience of university life. More

Dual language immersion program faces challenges
Wisconsin State Journal
As the Madison School District's dual language immersion program enters its eighth year, the increasingly popular option for native Spanish and English speakers is experiencing growing pains. The district is expanding the program to all of its high school attendance areas, and is looking into possibly adding French and Chinese dual language programs, which would also pair native and non-native English speakers.More

English schools face book-piracy lawsuit
Viet Nam News
Vietnam: A private publishing house has plans to file a lawsuit against a number of foreign language centers, private bookstores and universities in HCM City that are allegedly pirating its books for commercial purposes. The Tri Viet publishing house said it was drawing up a list of violators and would soon file a lawsuit against at least three foreign-language centers for book piracy.More

How and why teachers should start blogging
SmartBlog
Blogging can be a tricky minefield for teachers to navigate. However, it's also an outlet for teachers to build awareness about issues, share information and best practices with one another and bring about systemic change in education, panelists said during a session at the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Conference.More

Educators discuss biggest misconceptions about their profession
eSchool News
It seems everyone has an opinion about teachers and their profession these days, and most of them aren't teachers. eSchool News polled readers to explore ten common myths about teaching. More

How ESL and EFL classrooms differ
Oxford University Press
You may think that teaching English is teaching English, whether you're doing it in a Thai village or a suburban California school. And you'd be right, sort of. Many of the same textbooks, lesson plans, and online resources serve in both cases. Many English teachers go from one type of teaching position to the other, and back again. But there are fundamental differences between ESL and EFL classrooms. Understanding them will make you a more effective teacher.More

Why it's smart to be bilingual
Newsweek
According to several different studies, command of two or more languages bolsters the ability to focus in the face of distraction, decide between competing alternatives and disregard irrelevant information. These essential skills are grouped together, known in brain terms as "executive function." The research suggests they develop ahead of time in bilingual children, and are already evident in kids as young as 3 or 4.More

Learn any language by treating it as music
Patch
Want to learn a new language? Start by putting aside verb memorization charts and listening. That's the core advice of Cupertino polyglot Susanna Zaraysky, who speaks seven languages with little to no accent. As both a former student of, and now Spanish substitute teacher in, the Cupertino public school system, Zaraysky has too often seen children become frustrated with rote language learning. She penned both Language is Music in 2008 and its Spanish predecessor El Idioma es Música in 2010 to aid kids and adults in absorbing not just the structure, but also sounds and flow, of a new language. In effect, they can listen to language like they would music. More