A pre-kindergarten student learned syllables and word identification during a summer bilingual academy at Wilson Elementary School in San Antonio on June 26, 2012.
A pre-kindergarten student learned syllables and word identification during a summer bilingual academy at Wilson Elementary School in San Antonio on June 26, 2012. Lisa Krantz for The Texas Tribune

As programs for English language learners face significant budget constraints, teachers are turning to alternative tools to facilitate language acquisition in school environments. One instructional app, called Duolingo for Schools, affords students a private, adaptable resource for practicing vocabulary and grammar lessons. Not only does this tool, when used as a supplement to in-class instruction, provide content support, it has anecdotal evidence of increasing students’ confidence. (Hechinger Report)

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Alex Samuels was a reporter for The Texas Tribune from 2017 to 2021. She helped with national campaign coverage, wrote stories about the intersection of race and politics in Texas, and covered the hottest...