Bilingual Education: Training for All Teachers

Client: United States Department of Education (Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Languages)

The U.S. Department of Education in October 2001 awarded a five-year grant to URC's Center for Human Services (CHS) to work in partnership with McDaniel College (formerly Western Maryland College). The project is designed to serve as a resource to McDaniel to develop and implement a high quality bilingual education/ESL teacher training program. Through the project, CHS/McDaniel will provide various professional development opportunities to public school teachers and administrators, including workshops, graduate courses in bilingual education, field experiences, and an intensive summer training institute.

Assist McDaniel College staff to prepare teachers and other school personnel to effectively meet the needs of ESL (English as a Second Language) students within the college's service area by revising and designing courses and curricula
Serve as a resource to McDaniel staff in order to plan and implement bilingual education teacher training courses and field experiences
Support participating teachers by designing and implementing a package of support services, including: training workshops, one-on-one mentoring, and web support

Vision

The project evolved from a shared vision of its consortium partners. This vision, serving to guide the design, includes the following principles:

All students, especially ESL students, should be taught in active learning environments where they are continuously encouraged to set high expectations for themselves
Life experiences, coupled with linguistic and cultural diversity, of ESL students are rich, meaningful, and of potential benefit to other students
ESL students should be promoted to the highest literary standards in order to engage in critical debates concerning self and society
ESL students, being among those who are most vulnerable, be given the skills necessary to become leaders
ESL students should have equal access to the core curriculum
Teachers and schools should be given the tools to design, develop, implement, and evaluate effective bilingual education methods, rather than be handed ready solutions
Instruction to ESL students should be relevant, challenging and effective
Bilingual education methods assist teachers to encourage the development of critical thinking skills in ESL students
Innovations in bilingual teaching methods be developed and tested
The fostering of creativity and innovation are born out of cultural and linguistic inclusiveness and diversity
Cultural and linguistic diversity should be appreciated and fostered in all students
Parents of ESL students, many of whom are also ESL, should be empowered to participate in the education of their children

Partners

Grogan Ullah
Gettysburg Learning Center
Center for Human Services
P.O. Box 3924
108 N. Stratton Street, Rear
Gettysburg, PA 17325
Gullah@urc-chs.com

URC/CHS Projects

Bilingual Education: Training for All Teachers