Elana Lawrick at Reading High School

By Elizabeth Shimer-Bowers

Much like the rest of the country, the City of Reading is becoming more culturally diverse. And with increased diversity comes an increasing need to help people learn English. 


鈥淥ver 18 percent of students in the Reading School District are English language learners; this means their English proficiency ranges from zero to emerging,鈥 says Dr. Elena Lawrick, associate professor of education and director of the Office for Multilingual Student Success at 媚娘直播. 鈥淭hese students come from 28 different countries, which creates an unprecedented challenge for the district.鈥 


To meet the increasing demand, Reading needs more teachers certified to teach English as a second language (ESL). 


Enter the partnership with neighboring 媚娘直播. To help teachers do their jobs most efficiently, Lawrick is working with the Reading School District to certify teachers in ESL. 


鈥淭he goal is to help the district equip teachers with the knowledge and tools necessary to provide equitable education to English learning students,鈥 explains Lawrick. 鈥淭his partnership is 媚娘直播鈥檚 contribution to what is currently one of the greatest challenges in our community 鈥 to educate a diverse population. Reading School District is at the epicenter of this challenge.鈥  


The partnership works like this: Teachers in the district enroll in the K-12 ESL program to get their ESL Specialist Certifications. The program consists of five courses offered on 媚娘直播鈥檚 campus at convenient times for teachers.


鈥淭he courses provide a well-rounded and practical knowledge base every teacher needs to teach English learning students,鈥 Lawrick says.  Those who want to advance their education further can take additional courses that lead to a master鈥檚 degree in education. 


So far, the program has been a success. Two cohorts of teachers have earned certifications, and the third is already underway. Several teachers who have completed the program are moving forward with master鈥檚 degrees. 鈥淎fter the third cohort, more than 40 teachers in the Reading School District will be certified to help ESL students learn English and subject content, as well as to engage parents of these students in a culturally sensitive and responsive way,鈥 says Lawrick. 


Dr. Lawrick joined 媚娘直播 in 2016. She brings more than 20 years of experience teaching ESL to various student populations and training ESL teachers. 鈥淏eing an ESL professional, I deeply share 媚娘直播鈥檚 ideal of 鈥榢nowledge joined with love.鈥 It resonates with my core values and my teaching philosophy,鈥 she explains. 


Moving forward, Lawrick says she hopes other school districts will partner with 媚娘直播 on ESL education. 鈥淚 want 媚娘直播 to become a model and leader in educating diverse students,鈥 she says.

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