Lesley College gets $ 1.2 million grant for bilingual training

BOSTON—A $1.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education will enable Lesley College to prepare teachers for work with bilingual children in Boston.

Lesley’s new program, the Boston Collaborative Bilingual Project, is part of an effort to boost the academic performance of children with limited English proficiency. These pupils tend to score lower on standardized exams and have higher drop-out rates than their peers.

Under the project, the school will prepare 40 master’s-level teachers to work with limited English proficiency students in Boston schools and early child care programs.

“The Bilingual Project helps fulfill a need that’s becoming more prominent as the population of Boston grows more diverse,” said Lesley president Margaret McKenna. “It’s imperative that we reach these children early in their school lives.”

The five-year program will provide teachers with master’s degrees, with an emphasis in bilingual education. The participants, who must commit to taking leadership roles in bilingual ed, will then train other teachers.

“What we’re looking at is a ripple-effect,” said Thomas Payzant, superintendent of Boston schools. “The impact of this project extends far beyond that core group of teachers and their students.”

The fastest-growing ethnic group in Boston’s schools is Hispanics, and 47 percent of these children speak primarily Spanish.



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