In this article, recent American high school graduate Shivam Bhatt reflects on his experience with an exchange program in Japan. He was struck by the cultural balance that the Japanese strike between holding on to tradition while keeping on an eye on the future. He also learned about language from his Japanese peers in the program and about…

Adolescent English language learners present particular challenges for schools. The population of adolescent ELLs is diverse, and their educational needs are affected by differences in immigration status, quality of educational background, native language, cultural distance from U.S. culture, future plans, and economic status. The article offers…