 |
Austin Independent School District
In Austin, Texas, the school district and QTEL are collaborating in a three-year effort to develop a model high school program for the instruction of English language learners. This work involves building the capacity of district teachers, teacher leaders, and administrators to serve the needs of all their students, but especially their students who are learning English as a new language. The work is guided by a vision of quality education for adolescent English learners.
Teacher professional development is taking place with the full faculties at two Austin high schools, Lanier High School, a comprehensive high school, and International High School, a school established specifically to serve English language learners.
An important goal in the Austin district is to be able to sustain QTEL implementation at the end of the three-year collaboration. Since 2007, district staff and teacher leaders have participated in QTEL professional development, apprenticing to QTEL staff in leading teacher professional development.
Austin teachers have been learning about the theoretical foundations of the QTEL approach, the principles that guide effective teaching for English language learners, and concrete strategies for putting those theories and principles into practice. In addition to working with all faculty members at the two schools, QTEL staff carry out individualized classroom coaching with a subset of teachers in the core subject areas.
QTEL director, Aída Walqui, and other QTEL staff members provide ongoing consultation to the Austin district and site staff on issues pertinent to the education of English language learners, including how to identify and remedy structural barriers that impede the progress of English language learners and how to scale up the implementation of QTEL at other district schools.
|
|
|
|
|
