Page 4 - Project ALPHA Brochure FINAL 042919

Project
Teach Out of the Box
Project ALPHA
Academic Language Produces High Achievement
Project ALPHA is one of 49 National Professional Development programs funded beginning 2016 under Title III through the US Department of Education Office of English Language Acquisition. The project is designed to prepare content area teachers with instructional strategies to assist English Learners (ELs) to keep in school; gain academic content and literacy skills; and graduate high school and enter college. It is administered by The Bronx Institute in collaboration with the Department of Middle and High School Education at Lehman College
The mission of The Bronx Institute at Lehman College is to enhance educational opportunity by promoting academic excellence for K20 students. This mission is achieved through original programming and projects in collaboration with academic institutions, community groups, educators, and parents. The vision of The Bronx Institute is to transform the lives of Bronx and other New York City area youth by improving their educational outcomes.
Evidence-based Professional Development
At the core of Project ALPHA are research studies proving evidence of effectiveness validated by the federal What Works Clearinghouse. These studies yielded three specific recommendations, which are infused throughout the program of study.
• Teach academic vocabulary intensively using a variety of instructional activities.
• Integrate oral and written English language instruction into content-area teaching.
• Provide small-group instructional intervention to students struggling in areas of literacy and English language development.
Goal 1 – to enhance Lehman College’s capacity to train teachers to serve ELs
Goal 2 – to increase teacher effectiveness using evidence-based practices for ELs and in engaging
parents of ELs
Goal 3 – to improve academic outcomes of ELs
Over the course of Project ALPHA’s five year grant cycle, 150 participants will be prepared to teach English language learners. Each cohort will consist of 30 participants taking a maximum of five credit- bearing courses in TESOL, which are completed over three consecutive semesters.
4 The Bronx Institute at Lehman College