Our Philosophy

Our philosophy is that ELs’ academic performance will improve if teachers are equipped with research-based instructional strategies, if school leaders provide the structures and resources needed for teachers to employ these strategies, and if the school actively facilitates parents’ involvement in their school and in their children’s learning. Simply put, we maintain that if the organization and structure of a school is not conducive to the implementation of practices taught in teacher professional development programs, (e.g. teachers do not have adequate preparation and collaboration time, students are not rostered appropriately, and teacher evaluations do not include EL-friendly teaching strategies), then teachers are not adequately supported in employing these practices. Likewise, if ELs and their families feel marginalized and/or uncomfortable in school, then ELs may not attend school regularly and may not come to class ‘ready-to-learn.’ Thus, we view the school leadership and parent involvement components as critical to the success of any quality teacher professional development program for ELs.