Principal Investigator andDepartment:  Jioanna Carjuzaa, Education

Co-PI Name(s) and Department(s): William Ruff, Education

Funding Organization: US Department of Education

Funder Program Name: Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA) National Professional Development (NPD) Grant

 Project Summary:

This project provides professional development to Montana K-12 educators in order to improve instruction for English Language Learners in Montana, 80% of whom are American Indian. The project develops program curricula and offers coursework to in-service and pre-service teachers, paraprofessionals, and school administrators focusing on second language acquisition theories, innovative language teaching methodologies, academic literacy, and assessment, leading to a CLDE (Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Exceptional students) certificate. The project enables parent, family, and community engagement in the language development process.