Federal Grants Help Train and Support Educators of English Learners

States and school districts face a persistent shortage of educators with expertise in promoting the English proficiency and academic achievement of English learners (ELs). The U.S. Department of Education’s National Professional Development (NPD) program provides grants for professional development projects to help improve educator qualifications and classroom instruction for ELs. The NPD program allows grantees to serve the varied types of educators who work with ELs, including those preparing to join the educator workforce, and encourages grantees to focus on professional development topics and approaches supported by rigorous research evidence. In addition, the program encourages grantees to engage in evaluation activities that may inform project improvement and contribute to evidence building.  This study examines the extent to which NPD grantees implemented their projects in ways aligned with these program objectives, using information from a survey of grantees. Key Findings include: Given wide latitude in whom to serve, grantees focused on supporting general education teachers and EL specialists already in the classroom, compared to those still preparing to become teachers. All grantees provided professional development on multiple topics, most often focusing on English language development and academic content mastery. Almost all grantees reported using rigorous research evidence to inform their professional development, as encouraged by the program. However, some had challenges implementing the practices they identified in research. Limitations in the types of data that grantees collected may have impeded grantees’ ability to address the emphasis on performance measurement and rigorous project evaluations.