Education is one the most important components of the Obama administration’s policy agenda, and President Obama has identified several goals for improving education in America. “There is no stronger weapon against inequality and no better path to opportunity than an education that can unlock a child’s God-given potential,” he said recently.

The president said in his June 4 speech in Cairo, Egypt: “The source of America’s prosperity has never been merely about the accumulation of wealth, but how well America educates its people. Education is a prerequisite for success in a 21st-century world where jobs can be shipped wherever there’s an Internet connection, and where your best job qualification is not what you do, but what you know.” (more…)

When summer started three weeks ago, almost a quarter of Utica elementary school students headed back behind the desks instead of going out to play. More than 1,000 students began the summer school program. But with just one week left of summer school, the numbers have dwindled to about 700 students remaining after some families’ plans changed.

Still, Utica City School District officials said they are grateful for any time they can get students working on basic skills during the summer. Educators have tried to push more students into the Utica summer school program to improve their reading and math skills for the upcoming school year. The summer classes are not required for students, but they are recommended for all students in Academic Intervention Programs and all students learning English as a second language. (more…)

As the Saratoga tourist and racing season approaches in Saratoga, the backstretch of the Saratoga Race Track is filling up with seasonal workers, many of Latino origin who know little or no English.
In recent weeks on Mondays and Wednesdays at the United Methodist Church on the corner of Henning Road and Fifth Avenue, one can’t help but observe the quantity of bicycles lined up out in front at the church entrance. For many foreign workers seeking employment at the track or in Saratoga, bikes are often the sole mode of transportation.

Twice a week, with the help of the Saratoga Economic Opportunity Council, the United Methodist Church hosts a free dinner, for their Latin guests and their families as well as English lessons to help them navigate more readily in everyday life in America as well as to help enable them in their job search and at their place of employment. (more…)

Whether you’re looking to travel to the U.S. to study or simply hoping to improve your English speaking skills, there are lots of different ways to practice what you need to know online. In fact, the Internet may provide the best language learning opportunities available for students.

There are a number of websites that offer free courses, tutorials, games, and other resources that make learning fun and easy. Here are 15 free language learning sites that would be helpful to anyone who wants to increase their knowledge of the English language. (more…)

FACTS, located in Chinatown, emphasizes cultural awareness and linguistic diversity both in its curriculum and in its daily operations. Since opening in 2005, the school has developed a reputation among immigrant families as a welcoming place not only for students, but also for their families and the surrounding community.

With a highly diverse population of students—Chinese, Cambodian, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Lao, Puerto Rican, and Mexican—the school takes pains to ensure that language barriers won’t prevent parents from supporting their children’s education.

School materials are sent home in four different languages, which “parents love,” said teacher Aurelia Bonitatis. Teachers also have parent call logs to ensure that families are updated on their student’s progress. Where language barriers arise, phone calls are translated by an outside contractor. (more…)

Taiwanese native Lin Fon was very comfortable driving a car in America because he could read the road signs in English with ease. But when a police officer pulled up behind him with lights flashing, he discovered a need for better skills in speaking and listening in his second language.

The program offers classes for immigrants living in Plainsboro and the U.S. in general, with subjects ranging from Social Security benefits to local history, dining etiquette and holiday celebrations, said Joanne Lupica, director of the department of recreation and community services. The program was envisioned to help the growing population of elderly Asians who have immigrated to join their grown children, she said. (more…)

Community colleges could become a tool to help economic recovery in the United States and a model for developing countries debating how to improve their education systems, Jill Biden, the wife of Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and a longtime teacher, said Tuesday.

Mrs. Biden made the comments as she wrapped up a five-day visit to Europe, her first independent trip abroad since President Barack Obama was inaugurated in January. The visit started in Germany, where she celebrated Independence Day on July 4 with U.S. soldiers, and ended in Paris, after a speech to a Unesco conference on higher education.

“Community colleges are the way of the future,” she said in an interview by telephone. “Now with people losing their jobs, they’re a great place to go for new training.” (more…)

Remember when you were in elementary school, went to the music room and your mind was taken to another space and time? This is not happening in many schools anymore due to budget cuts. More and more schools are cutting these “NON-ESSENTIAL” programs because their funding by the Federal Government does not even cover their operating costs for the entire year.

Did you know that music is often used in English As A Second Language classes? Children are like sponges and when exposed to music while learning a second language they are more likely to retain and understand the information. (more…)