Latest news with #English-learning
India Today
30-07-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
'I Googled It': How Neeraj Chopra taught himself English
Before he was launching javelins into Olympic history, Neeraj Chopra was quietly launching something else his own crash course in English, armed with nothing but curiosity, a phone app, and a whole lot of a world where athletes often have teams of tutors and translators, Neeraj took the DIY route. No grammar classes, no formal lessons—just keen ears, helpful coaches, and the trusty Duolingo owl on his phone. And while the gold medals may shine brightest, his journey to learning English is its own tale of grit, humility, and some laugh-out-loud language an exclusive fireside chat with Duolingo English Test takers, Olympic and World Champion Neeraj Chopra got candid—not about training techniques or medal moments, but about his relationship with the English language. Turns out, Neeraj didn't have access to fancy tutors or expensive language classes. Instead, he soaked up English from his coaches, his teammates, and—wait for it—his phone. 'I started learning by listening to my coaches speak. Then, I used Duolingo whenever I had time,' he English-learning journey wasn't just about communication—it was about confidence. 'At first, I was hesitant. But I kept practicing. That's all you need—consistency and belief,' he added. MULTILINGUAL MISHAPS AND GLOBAL GREETINGSWorking with international coaches exposed Neeraj to a medley of languages, from German to Swedish. He even picked up phrases to connect better with them. But not every attempt went smoothly.'I once greeted someone in German with full confidence,' he laughed. 'But when they replied fluently, I panicked and switched back to English immediately!'The story had everyone in splits—and made it clear: even world champions stumble, and that's totally FOR DREAMERS: 'MAKE PEOPLE BELIEVE IN YOUR DREAM'Neeraj wasn't just sharing language tips. He had a powerful message for Indian students dreaming of studying abroad.'I come from a small village,' he said. 'My dream was to represent India. And I worked for it—even when it seemed far. If you have a dream, don't just keep it locked in your mind. Speak it. Believe it. And make the people around you believe in it too.'He stressed that success doesn't happen overnight, but persistence, patience, and support go a long WISDOM, ONE WORD AT A TIMENeeraj Chopra's story is a reminder that language shouldn't be a barrier—it should be a bridge. Whether it's throwing a javelin 87 meters or saying your first full sentence in English, it all starts with one thing: Neeraj put it, 'Big dreams need small, everyday effort. Whether it's in sports, language, or life—just don't stop trying.'- EndsMust Watch
Axios
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Axios
North Carolina sues over withheld education funding
North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson said Monday he is suing the U.S. Department of Education for withholding more than $165 million for K-12 funding in the state. Jackson is joining attorneys general in more than a dozen states who are suing the Trump administration's decision to withhold more than $6 billion in education funding nationwide. Why it matters: At a press conference, Jackson said the withheld funds will affect mental health services, after-school programs and English-learning programs across the state, and potentially cut 1,000 jobs. These cuts affect rural school districts more on a per-pupil basis, Jackson added, specifically noting Graham, Ashe and Polk counties. Zoom in: The withheld funds include money for programs for migrant children, English-language proficiency and some after-school programs, according to the Learning Policy Institute, which conducts research to improve education policies. What they're saying: The Department of Education previously referred Axios' questions on the withheld funds to the Office of Management and Budget. An OMB spokesperson said no decisions have been made amid "an ongoing programmatic review of education funding." The spokesperson pointed to initial findings that they said "show that many of these grant programs have been grossly misused to subsidize a radical leftwing agenda." Jackson said in a statement that the Education Department was not following the Constitution. "It's unlawful and unconstitutional for the Department of Education to withhold money that Congress has appropriated," he said. "I'm going to court to get this money for our students, our schools, and North Carolina families."
Asahi Shimbun
09-07-2025
- Business
- Asahi Shimbun
Free English conversation videos teach in short bursts
Kaho Fujikawa, founder of Logiglish Inc., holds a smartphone showing a scene from 'English Learning Manga 'Kyoko'' at the Osaka Metropolitan University's Umeda campus in the city's Kita Ward on May 9. (Yasuji Nagai) OSAKA—A university startup company is uploading free, short English-learning videos daily, hoping to help locals communicate more easily with the many foreign visitors here for the Osaka Kansai Expo 2025. The startup, Logiglish Inc., was founded in February 2023 by Kaho Fujikawa, 23, when she was a sophomore at Osaka City University. That university later merged with Osaka Prefecture University to form Osaka Metropolitan University, where Fujikawa is now a graduate student in the business management program. The company's name is a combination of the words 'English' and 'logic,' a quality essential for language learning. Logiglish is the first startup certified and supported by the university. The short video series, titled 'English Learning Manga 'Kyoko,'' began streaming in April, the same month the Osaka Expo opened. Most episodes are just 30 to 50 seconds long. The story centers around Kyoko, who wants to be a photographer and lives in New York with her father. She makes a solo trip to Kyoto, where she has memories of her mother. Conversational expressions such as 'Now I am heading to Kyoto' and 'Do I know you?' are featured in each episode. The video series also includes a miniseries: 'Takoyaki Santo Monogatari' (A tale of three cities of 'takoyaki'), which explains in English and Japanese the differences between three types of takoyaki octopus dumplings. Real shops, restaurants and other locations are featured in the series. Logiglish's main business is providing custom-made English learning programs to help people say exactly what they want to say. The company offers 15-part courses customized for each student to learn English vocabulary and phrases required in their field, such as marketing or development, and uses business documents and related publications as study materials. The company uses artificial intelligence to design the study programs and aims to provide AI-automated learning guidance in the future. Fujikawa, who attended Kobe University-affiliated institutions from kindergarten to high school, was fascinated by debates in English.. She won third place at a national debate tournament for high school students even though she had not studied overseas for an extended period. She also came in first at a national, university-level competition. While she was honing her English debate skills, she found it useful to consider how to explain concepts in English, rather than just learning words and phrases by rote. Fujikawa decided to found the company after attending a lecture by Atsushi Sakahara, 58, a film director and writer, who serves as a part-time instructor at the university. Sakahara, who taught economics in English, had been involved in developing learning programs in Silicon Valley using AI and speech recognition technologies. He decided to co-found Logiglish with Fujikawa because he supported her idea for developing a new English learning program. 'I want to help increase opportunities for people in this city to communicate with visitors from all over during the (Osaka) Kansai Expo, which is a rare opportunity,' Fujikawa said. The short video series is available at (
Chicago Tribune
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
North Shore D112 moves ahead with dual language consolidation; ‘Families affected by this decision feel unheard, confused and demoralized'
A new chapter has begun for North Shore School District 112, however difficult it may have been to turn the page, with the school board voting 5-2 in favor of the consolidation of the district's dual language program. The district plans to consolidate the program at Oak Terrace in phases, beginning with kindergarten in 2026-27, and fully transitioning all K-5 dual language program students in 2027-28, with Red Oak Elementary School closing after the 2026-27 school year, a statement to parents said. It's a process that has angered Red Oak's most vocal proponents, with some parents who have become regulars at board meetings voicing their continued mistrust of the district's leadership, and left the school board and community members drained both emotionally and — with several previous meetings running several hours — physically. School officials have pointed to the community's dropping Hispanic and English-learning population, as well as overall dropping student populations, as the primary drivers for the move. According to a statement from the district, since 2018 the dual language program has seen a nearly 30% decline in enrollment. Some Red Oak parents have questioned that data, and viewed consolidation as too drastic a move without considering other solutions. Others have said the process has been run backwards, with a task force of parents, staff and teachers to be formed after a vote on consolidation, rather than before. Red Oak parent Maria Barraza previously warned that the consolidation would destroy the community built around Red Oak, and raised concerns about a lack of engagement from the district with the school's Spanish-speaking families. While the vote was not a surprising outcome, it capped off a controversy that had grown increasingly bitter. Board meetings saw jeering, insults and accusations of dishonesty as members spoke, and frustrated parents accused leadership of lying and maliciously molding the process to a preferred outcome. During one meeting, Superintendent Michael Lubelfeld gave a heated reprimand to parents fighting against consolidation as he implored the board to make a decision. During Thursday's meeting, board members each gave comments sharing their reasoning for their vote. Lori Fink and Jaret Fishman, both newcomers to the board, were the only members to vote against consolidation. Given the divisive nature of the decision, Fishman called for delaying the vote to allow additional community engagement and await feedback from the proposed task force. While this should have been done much earlier in the process, he said, it 'doesn't mean it's too late now.' 'Too many families affected by this decision feel unheard, confused and demoralized,' Fishman said. 'We need our families to work side-by-side with us.' Fink said that 'in trying to solve one problem,' the district had created another, trading enrollment issues for division in the community. She warned that board members have 'moved too quickly.' 'I know when we listen to each other and work together, we can find solutions that honor everyone,' Fink said. 'Together, we will move forward.' But other board members warned of the risks of kicking the can down the road. Board member Bennett Lasko described closing a school as the 'third rail' for any school board, and the 'hardest issue' they've ever confronted. But avoiding a decision would only delay and worsen the damage to the district, he said. Lasko pointed to 2016, when the district faced a crisis over the closing of several schools, which he said was rooted in multiple boards over many years choosing to delay for a variety of reasons. That controversy had also faced heavy parental resistance. It would ultimately drive two board members, including then-board President Michael Cohn, to resign after the board voted to delay the closing of several schools. In a statement, Cohn lambasted the parent community and the board's decision to delay. Lasko said his own children would go on to see two rounds of budget cuts as they went through the district because of that. 'It didn't make the process any easier or any more comfortable for anybody to delay. It made it worse. It made it more painful. It made people more unhappy. So I don't think that delaying is a good idea,' Lasko said. Board members voting in favor of consolidation said they were convinced by the overarching data trends, noting the rising price of housing in the area, making Highland Park less attractive or even feasible for new immigrant families. Keeping two schools would mean shrinking classrooms and smaller cohorts at both Oak Terrace and Red Oak, they said. Board President Art Kessler pushed back against concerns that the consolidation will lead to overcrowding at Oak Terrace, and said previous consolidations led to stronger schools and programs. 'Consolidation is an opportunity to strengthen the program that has been central to our district's identity,' Kessler said. 'Looking forward, I'm confident that through transparency, planning and partnership, we can build an even stronger model for dual language education.' Kessler said he believes that while difficult, the decision will be the right one in hindsight. 'In five years, when we look back at this moment, we will recognize that … consolidating our dual language program in Oak Terrace, was the right choice for our students and our community,' he said. However, he admitted mistakes have been made in the process. Kessler hopes to take those as lessons into the future for better engaging the community. 'I look back on this process myself in terms of how it played out, and I don't think we did everything right. I think we could have done some things better,' Kessler said. 'We should really take our past experiences to heart.' After a June 10 board meeting, Lubelfeld also expressed regret about the divide that had grown between the district and some parents. With hindsight, he said he would have moved forward with a task force process with the PTO leadership, or other members of the community, prior to making an administrative review and a board administrative decision. 'I regret that my actions or lack thereof may have caused some of this rift, and I hope that while I'm still here, I can be part of a solution to heal some of these fissures that do exist,' he said. An outline of the proposed task force and consolidation was given during the previous board meeting. The task force will be made up of Red Oak and Oak Terrace parents, staff members and administrators, to be selected in September, with a first meeting in October. The final meeting will be in April, with a report presented to the board in May. It will have three committees: student success, family engagement and facilities and operations. Plans for Oak Terrace include renovations to its outdoor space, an issue that has been repeatedly raised during public comments. While the technical next steps of consolidation are clear, what's not is how the parent community will respond, and whether the passionate engagement seen leading up to the vote will translate to similar engagement with the task force and consolidation. Kessler said he hopes for as much. 'I hope parents remain engaged,' Kessler said. 'It will really help us make Oak Terrace the best it can be.' But Ryan Morgan, an Oak Terrace parent, was uncertain if the momentum could be continued, worrying about the 'alienation of the most vocal parents.' Red Oak PTO head Cathy Curran said she felt both schools' PTOs should 'absolutely' be a part of the task force moving forward. While parents feel 'discouraged and exhausted,' it is 'important to stay engaged.' 'I know myself and other parents are going to try and make it as positive as possible for our kids,' Curran said. Looking ahead, Curran said she wanted 'proactive' engagement with the community from the district, and some assurances that parents on the task force will be heard and 'truly part of the process.' Parents weren't surprised by the decision, she said, but now is the time to, 'move forward together as a community.' Curran said she has already reached out to their Oak Terrace counterparts to begin planning.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Drop in federal dollars could reduce funding for Gwinnett school support programs
Shrinking federal education dollars could cost Gwinnett County Public Schools millions in support for students most in need, according to the district's proposed FY2026 budget. Title I funding, which supports high-poverty schools and low performing students, is projected to fall by around $19 million. Programs for students learning English could lose nearly $5 million, two of some of the biggest potential decreases within the district's Special Revenue Fund, which mostly manages federal grant money. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] 'These aren't just wish list programs,' State Rep. Marvin Lim (D-Norcross) told Channel 2 Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Matt Johnson. 'These are very important programs for all of our particularly underserved communities.' Lim and other advocates warn that a drop in funding could directly affect resources like teachers and curriculum designed to help immigrant and English-learning students stay on track. 'Sometimes they don't feel like they're part of the bigger school community,' said Santiago Marquez, CEO of the Latin American Association. 'That leads to more, you know, an increase in them dropping out.' TRENDING STORIES: 'On our doorstep:' Coweta County passes 180-day moratorium on data center proposals after 2 approved GA man sues NFL over Shedeur Sanders' drop to 5th round in NFL Draft Beloved Hall County teacher, coach dies after motorcycle crash on his way to school But Georgia House Majority Leader Chuck Efstration (R-Mulberry) said changes are necessary as the federal government faces long-term fiscal challenges. 'The federal government has an out of control spending problem,' Efstration said. 'There's $36.8 trillion in debt with no plan to fix it.' Gwinnett's proposed 2026 budget shows a $28.5 million drop in the Special Revenue Fund, also because pandemic relief money is gone and other federal funding is shrinking too. At a recent town hall, Gwinnett County Interim Superintendent Dr. Al Taylor downplayed the impact of federal funding uncertainty, noting it accounts for just 6% of the district's nearly $3 billion budget. 'Some of the executive orders might actually change some of our practices and functions,' Taylor said. 'Funding is not an area that we're concerned with.' Neither the proposed White House budget nor the district's plan is final, but Lim says the risk to vulnerable students is real. 'I'm certainly advocating for Gwinnett County Public Schools to make up that amount,' he said. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
