Alabama will get nearly $5.8 million over the next five years to support English learner instruction and teacher training.
The grants, distributed through a federal program from the U.S. Department of Education, will support two ESL teacher training programs at the University of Alabama at Huntsville and the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Teachers in certain school districts may be eligible to get some or all costs of master’s programs and professional training covered in order to help them better work with students who are not fluent in English.
The funding comes amid rapid growth of English language learners in the state – the EL student population has nearly doubled since 2015 – and as districts continue to struggle to fill vacancies for ESL teachers and multilingual staff.
Over the course of five years, about $3 million will go toward UAB’s EMPOWER program, while $2.8 million will support Project DIAL at UAH. The two teacher training and professional development programs aim to provide support for English language instruction in Birmingham- and Huntsville-area schools.
“Through our work, we hope to help young children and their families feel ready for the U.S. school system, which may be culturally different from theirs, while also preparing teachers for the diverse needs of multilingual learners,” UAB assistant professor Josephine Prado said in a news release.
Beginning in January 2023, UAB’s school of education will recruit cohorts of up to 20 teachers from surrounding school districts who wish to earn a master’s degree in ESL. Those who have a four-year degree but do not have a teaching certificate may also be eligible for the college’s Alternative Master’s Program with a focus on ESL.
EMPOWER will provide tuition support covering 80% of the coursework for all three cohorts of students seeking a traditional master’s degree and pay full tuition for cohort members in the alternative master’s program.
The grant will also support efforts to add more bilingual books to the Birmingham Public Library, which will also act as a community meeting space for the teacher trainees and multilingual families to learn from each other.
UAH’s program will provide tuition support for local teachers planning to enroll in the school’s ESOL master’s program, as well as a suite of professional training opportunities for middle and high school teachers who have English learners in their core classrooms.
“Based on years of research in the field, when we focus on the design of instructional language itself, access to the curriculum and content increases for every student in the room,” said Andrea Word-Allbritton, a clinical assistant professor at UAH’s College of Education.
UAB is currently partnered with Jefferson County, Shelby County, Alabaster, Birmingham, Hoover, Pelham and Tarrant school districts.
UAH will work with Madison City, Madison County and Huntsville City Schools.
Interested teachers should contact their local school district to learn more.