ATHENS, Ga. – More than 110 teachers, administrators and staff from several Atlanta metro area and north Georgia schools will again participate in a year-long professional development program designed to improve the education of Latino K-12 students. The training is being offered by the University of Georgia Center for Latino Achievement and Success in Education (CLASE).
Educators from Atlanta Public Schools, Gainesville City and Marietta City Schools, and Cherokee, Clarke, DeKalb, Forsyth, Fulton and Hall County school systems participated in a series of activities kicked off by a weeklong summer institute at Amicalola Falls last week. The team-based training, provided at no cost to the educators, will include follow-up site visits and workshops throughout the year.
UGA faculty, graduate students and outside experts will help educators learn how to resolve locally identified barriers to Latino student achievement. CLASE will also help participants create and implement specific school-based plans for enhancing Latino student success.
Participating teachers and staff voiced excitement about this training, and schools participating during 2003-04 noted important results.
“I’m hearing from principals and teachers very positive comments about the results from their action plans and the many things that are going on at the schools. The collaborative efforts that we have with CLASE have provided invaluable help for our district in meeting the needs of the mainstream teacher,” said Sandra Perry, ESOL coordinator for Hall County Schools.
“The professional learning opportunities provided by CLASE for this year’s Forsyth team have provided service and support to staff working with our growing population of Limited English Proficient students,” said Paula Gault, superintendent of Forsyth County Schools.
“Georgia’s teachers realize the importance of learning how to work more effectively with the growing population of students who are learning English. The University of Georgia is pleased to take a proactive role in providing such vital professional development,” said Michael Padilla, director of educator partnerships.
CLASE, funded by a $3.5 million grant from The Goizueta Foundation and based in UGA’s College of Education, is in its second year of work to improve education for Latino students statewide by:
* offering professional development to K-12 educators in schools with high Latino populations,
* creating The Goizueta Foundation Graduate Scholars Fund to support graduate students dedicated to Latino educational improvement. These assistantships allow the students to work with Georgia schools to better understand issues that affect educational success for Latinos,
* establishing The Goizueta Foundation Scholars Fund to provide need-based scholarships to UGA undergraduates who are fluent in Spanish and whose families live in the U.S., and
* endowing The Goizueta Foundation Chair for Latino Teacher Education in the College of Education in which an internationally known scholar will be recruited to provide intellectual leadership in addressing the educational needs of Latino youth.
For more information on the Center for Latino Achievement and Success in Education, visit www.coe.uga.edu/clase.
