Print
September 20, 2005
Jaime Zapata
202/879-4458
jzapata@aft.org
American Federation of Teachers and WETA’s Reading Rockets Unveil Free Monthly
e-Newsletter for PreK-12 Educators of English Language Learners
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and Reading Rockets, a multimedia project of public broadcasting station WETA in Washington, D.C., today issued the first edition of the T.ELL.E-GRAM, a free monthly electronic newsletter for
PreK-12 educators of English language learners (ELL).
“There are more than 5 million ELL students in U.S. schools and they are America’s children. The AFT is committed to providing educators with research-based programs that will help strengthen services to this rapidly growing part of the school population,” said AFT Executive Vice President Antonia Cortese. “Colorín Colorado is primarily focused on Latino ELLs, but many of its resources can be adapted to serve children who speak a wide array of languages. We look forward to building on the success of this project and to expanding our work in serving language minority children and those who teach them.”
The new e-newsletter is part of ColorinColorado.org, the first free comprehensive Web site for parents and educators of Spanish-speaking ELLs to help children learn to read and succeed in school. The name Colorín Colorado refers to a popular ending to virtually all Spanish-language fairy tales. It is equivalent to “… and they lived happily ever after!”
The T.ELL.E-GRAM will feature monthly instructional tips and sample lesson plans, recommended books for students, a glossary of terms, a Q&A, nationwide developments on policies and programs affecting ELLs, and profiles of educators who work with ELL children. The premiere issue includes features on Hispanic Heritage Month and instructional resources for educators. It also includes the inspiring story of Dr. Rebecca Palacios, an AFT Pre-K teacher from Corpus Christi, Texas.
To read or sign up for the first issue of the e-newsletter, visit http://www.colorincolorado.org/newsletter/. For more information on the AFT and the Colorín Colorado project, visit http://www.aft.org/teachers/colorado.htm.
# # # #
The AFT represents 1.3 million pre-K through 12th-grade teachers, paraprofessionals and other school support employees, higher education faculty, nurses and other healthcare workers, and state and local government employees.
WETA is the third-largest producing station of programming for the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and the flagship public broadcaster in the nation's capital. This year, Reading Rockets produced the PBS television documentary “Becoming Bilingual,” hosted by acclaimed actress Rita Moreno, which looks at how different schools and programs are finding success in teaching English language learners to read. Sharon Percy Rockefeller is president and CEO of WETA. To learn more about Reading Rockets, visit www.ReadingRockets.org.
