Trends in Unauthorized Immigration: Undocumented Inflow Now Trails Legal Inflow

WASHINGTON, DC–There were 11.9 million unauthorized immigrants living in the United States in March 2008, according to new Pew Hispanic Center estimates. The size of the unauthorized population appears to have declined since 2007, but this finding is inconclusive because of the margin of error in these estimates. full story

ESOL standards ‘have to improve’

LONDON, UK–Much more needs to be done to improve the standards of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) training, according to an Ofsted report. Although it said the number of colleges providing ESOL that have less than satisfactory standards has gone down from one in five to one in sixteen between 2001 and 2005, Ofsted found that full story

Migrants are getting better English lessons

LONDON, UK–The quality of English-language teaching for migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers is improving, according to a new report by the education watchdog Ofsted. But it warns that a lot more needs to be done to ensure standards are lifted beyond “satisfactory” levels, and makes a series of recommendations to protect and enhance services. full story

The Language Show, in association with The Independent

LONDON, UK–The Independent is proud to be the official media partner of the Language Show this year, the UK’s biggest event for language learners, language teachers, linguists and anyone with a passion for languages. Between 31 October and 2 November full story

International students worth £75m to city

ABERDEEN, SCOTLAND–International university students inject £75million into the Aberdeen economy every year, new figures reveal. Statistics compiled by the city council show the 4,970 foreign students at Aberdeen University and the Robert Gordon University annually plough tens of millions of pounds into the city. full story

Pub noise keeps language students awake, court hears

GALWAY, IRELAND–The owner of a language school has been losing business because excessive noise emanating from a late night bar next door has been disrupting students’ sleep, the Galway District Court heard this week after an objection was made to the renewal of a publican’s licence. full story

County’s Early Language Program Pays Off

LOUDON, VA–A spiky rubber porcupine flies through the air, passed between Spanish teacher Elizabeth Gueits and her seventh-graders as they go back and forth with questions and answers in Spanish. One student tiene hambre– is hungry; another está cansado– is tired. full story

A bad idea in any language

PORTLAND, OR–A kernel of truth rests inside Measure 58. Many Oregon schools do a poor job teaching English and other subjects to students who speak another language at home. That uncomfortable truth isn’t enough to justify supporting Bill Sizemore’s latest attempt at education reform. We urge Oregonians to vote no on Measure 58. full story  complete coverage

Designing a communicative syllabus for the tertiary level

YEMEN TIMES–Innovative thinking is now evident in the area of teaching and learning of English as a second language (ESL) for a wide range of purposes. Policy makers, curriculum framers, materials producers, teachers, parents, and learners of ESL everywhere expect accomplishments in ESL in such a manner that the language can fulfill a variety of real life communication demands of the learners. full story

New Challenge to TOEFL

INSIDE HIGHER ED–The publishing giant Pearson is entering an important and lucrative part of the educational testing field — English proficiency for foreign students — by offering an exam that will be significantly different from current models. Most significantly, the Pearson Test of English will provide institutions not only with scores of applicants, but with a digital recording that full story