Grant Funds Training for English Teachers
Three school districts will see the rewards of a $1.3-million federal grant awarded to Chapman University last week to train prospective teachers and aides for students with limited English skills.
Ultimately, about 12,000 students in the Saddleback Valley, Capistrano and Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified school districts could benefit from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Languages Affairs grant.
The funding will cover most of the tuition and help defray costs for instructional aides and other school employees to earn teaching credentials, Chapman officials said.
“At the heart of this project is identifying the critical needs of . . . individuals who otherwise would make wonderful teachers for [limited English-speaking] students,” said Cheryl Valdez, associate dean of Chapman’s School of Education.
Marianne Smith, second-language program manager at Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified, said her district will open the program to all employees and residents. “They don’t need to be bilingual, but they do need to learn the strategies to work with [limited-English proficiency] students,” she said.
Information: (714) 744-7639.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
