PRESS RELEASE
August 4, 1999
Public Affairs, Lesley College
Lori Ann Neri, Communications Specialist
(617) 349-8525
Boston Public Schools Office of Communications
617-635-9265
Lesley College Receives $1.2 Million Grant
to Further Bilingual Teacher Training
Boston, MA, August, 1999 -- With a $1.2 million grant from the US Department of Education, Lesley College will prepare teachers to meet the needs of young children who speak limited English during their most critical years of language development.About one-third of Boston children speak a first language other than English. As the population of Boston grows increasingly diverse, the need for qualified bilingual early childhood educators is becoming critical.
Lesley College's new program -- the Boston Collaborative Bilingual Project -- is part of an effort to improve the academic performance of limited English proficient students, who tend to score lower on standardized exams and have higher drop-out rates than the rest of the population. Under the project, the university will prepare a cadre of 40 Masters-level teachers to serve children with limited English proficiency in Boston schools and early child care programs. More than one in four of the state's limited English proficient students attend school in Boston.
"The Bilingual Project helps fulfill a need that's becoming more prominent as the population of Boston grows more diverse," said Lesley President Margaret McKenna. "Itıs imperative that we reach these children early in their school lives."
Over the course of the five-year program, teachers will earn Master's degrees and become skilled in bilingual early education practice. These participants, who must commit to taking leadership roles in bilingual education, will, in turn, train other teachers.
"What we're looking at is a ripple-effect," said Boston Public Schools Superintendent Thomas Payzant. "These 40 teachers will be trained not only for the classroom, but to develop leadership in the field. The impact of this project extends far beyond that core group of teachers and their students."
The project promotes "additive bilingualism," meaning that teachers will help students not only learn English but also expand verbal skills in their native languages.
"The goal is to strengthen language skills as well as family ties," said Dr. Maria Serpa, project co-director. "When a parent speaks in one language, and the child responds only in English, a divide forms between them. This program teaches children to be comfortable using both their native and second languages."
"In addition to providing teachers with advanced education in this area, participants will become leaders and advocates for additive bilingual early childhood education," added Dr. Joanne Szamreta, co-director. "Because of this leadership component, the project's impact will extend far beyond the five-year grant period."
Building on Lesley's strengths in linking theory to practice, master's level courses will be offered on site in Boston, and taught by Lesley College faculty with expertise and experience in early childhood bilingual education. Participating teachers will apply the course work to their daily work with children and families. Mentors will support these teachers with guidance and feedback that will continue one year past graduation. In addition, a faculty advisor will coordinate with mentors and participating teachers to ensure that their classroom needs in working with children and families are being met in the formal course work.
The Boston Collaborative Bilingual Project is a joint effort of Lesley College, the Boston Public Schools, the Boston Zero to Eight Coalition, and the Child Care Careers Institute.
"The importance of this effort cannot be stressed enough, as the number of children in this country who do not speak English as a primary language grows," said Bernadette Davidson, program director at the Child Care Careers Institute, a collaborative of child care programs, parent organizations and institutions of higher education. "What's revolutionary about this project is that we are opening the door to a more diverse community. Bilingual teachers will be able to converse with parents who know little English. This will promote the development of quality bilingual education."
The fastest-growing ethnic group in the Boston Public Schools is Hispanic students, and 47 percent of these children speak primarily Spanish. In 1998, 84 percent of the children in Boston Public Schools were members of minority groups. Twenty-six percent of them were Hispanic -- an increase of 12 percent from 1995.
Lesley has been a leader in bilingual education, offering courses, graduate-level institutes and helping shape policy issues at the state level. Lesley's professional development programs provide opportunities for both individual teachers and teams to develop, implement and evaluate action plans related to bilingual programming in their classrooms.
Lesley College is a multi-site university with undergraduate and graduate programs for women and men in education, management, human services and the arts. Lesley is the 15th largest granter of master's degrees in the United States, offering programs at its Cambridge and Boston campuses and at more than 150 sites in 15 states. Lesley's five schools include: the School of Undergraduate Studies; the School of Education; the Graduate Schools of Arts and Social Sciences; the School of Management; and The Art Institute of Boston.
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