Burke sees the ACCELA Alliance as an important contribution toward this mission. ACCELA’s role in this collaboration centers on providing teachers and administrators with sustained professional development opportunities to support both the teaching of content and the language practices associated with core subject areas (e.g., Math, Science, Language Arts, and Social Studies). In these ways, ACCELA supports teachers and administrators in working to develop the academic literacy practices of the city’s growing ELL population.
Since the beginning of the program in 2003, approximately 45 teachers in grades K-8 have participated in a rigorous academic program of study that requires they read research, conduct studies of their own classroom practices, and design culturally responsive curriculum. Through coursework and action-oriented research, these Springfield teachers are earning a Master of Education and a Massachusetts license in Teaching English Language Learners and/or in Reading.
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