ELT World North America

Tennessee: The Daily Beacon reports how the University of Tennessee is hosting several exchange students visiting the United States from Brazil. For five weeks, 20 students will be on campus, learning about the history and culture of East Tennessee. The English Language Institute began in 1978 to encourage developing English language skills of non-native students. [...]

Tennessee: Lourdes Perez breathed a sigh of relief when she heard that Nashville voters on Thursday had rejected a proposal to require that all government business be done in English. But she says she’s “saddened that this has been brought up again in the state capital.” The proposal sends the message “that we’re not welcoming,” [...]

Tennessee: Despite having advanced education including years of formal English study, Memphis Literacy Council’s members and others like them struggle with everyday English conversation, notes ELT World News. Students suggest being able to speak English in social situations is as important to the group as speaking clearly at work.
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Tennessee: Early voting has begun on a proposed amendment that would prevent Nashville from translating written materials into other languages or using interpreters for people who don’t speak English well.
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Tennessee: Since 2002, the number of non-English speakers in the DeSoto County School system has multiplied 10-fold, from 70 to more than 800. And the trend is likely to continue. As a result, the district is embarking on a bold pilot program to integrate these children, about 5 percent of the student body of 30,616, [...]

Tennessee: Davidson County is home to more than a quarter of all Tennessee’s English language learners — a situation that poses challenges to Metro Schools in terms of funding. School district leaders say there are questions as to whether the state’s funding formula for ELL students provides appropriate compensation for the resource-intense process of helping [...]

Tennessee: More students will have a shot next year at going to one of Metro Nashville’s most in-demand public schools, where a bilingual education is the main attraction. In fall 2009, Glendale Elementary School will tweak enrollment rules so that more spots will be open in the school’s popular immersion program, which teaches math and [...]