MADISON – Teachers in Madison City Schools are participating with the Project Designing Instruction for Academic Literacies or Project DIAL scholarship program at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.

Project DIAL provides support for educators as they meet the needs of English Learner or EL students in classrooms.

At a recent meeting, Madison Board of Education recognized Madison teachers for their interest in Project DIAL: Amy Carter and Teresa Boyajian at Heritage Elementary School, Tracie Wade at Bob Jones High School and Hannah Napier and Elizabeth Milam at Discovery Middle School.

Dr. Andrea Word, Principal Investigator and Director of Project DIAL, joined MCS Federal Programs Coordinator Dr. Natalia Dooley in recognizing the teachers. MCS Superintendent Dr. Ed Nichols commended the English Learner focus of the program, noting that Madison City Schools has families from 50 different countries representing 60 languages.

National Professional Development within the U.S. Department of Education funds the scholarship through a grant. Secondary-content teachers who are instructing EL students can receive a 54-percent discount on tuition for a master’s degree in education at UAH.

Project DIAL offers training and degree support for educators, while focusing on enhancing instruction for EL students. The DIAL scholarship supports pre-service teachers who complete the English to Speakers of Other Languages or ESOL Bundle at UAH. The scholarship covers tuition and fees for courses up to a total of $2,500.

English Learners need support. Teachers with English Learners need support. Project DIAL is that support.

Project DIAL provides training and degree support for educators as they meet the needs of English Learners in classrooms. Teachers who are interested can pursue their master’s degree or obtaining an endorsement in TESOL or Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.

TESOL is a field that prepares practicing and prospective teachers, researchers and leaders with a firm foundation in applied linguistics/language and literacy development to meet needs of students from diverse backgrounds. A TESOL master’s degree prepares an educator to teach English in college classrooms and other instructional settings where English is a second, foreign or international language.

The programs in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages or TESOL are designed to prepare practicing and prospective teachers, researchers and leaders with a firm foundation in applied linguistics, language and literacy development to meet students’ needs from diverse backgrounds. (steinhardt.nyu.edu/programs)

Several Madison educators have worked to complete a master’s degree in TESOL or to receive a TESOL certificate.