LIST OF EXHIBITS FOR STANDARD 3

EXHIBIT 3a.12

Project IMPACT

Ms. Laura Hancock, Project IMPACT Coordinator

Title III - English Language Acquisition:  National Professional Developmental Program

Southeastern has received a $598,000 U.S. Department of Education grant for Project IMPACT, a program designed to train Jefferson Parish teachers, administrators and staff who work with children who speak limited English.

Project IMPACT will benefit more than 500 children, 150 teachers and 120 non-instructional staff in six Jefferson Parish schools.  Selected on the basis of need, the schools are Grace King High School, West Jefferson High School, Meisler Middle School,  Gretna Junior High, J.C. Ellis Elementary School, and Boudreaux Elementary School.  In addition to training Jefferson Parish teachers, Project IMPACT will allow Southeastern faculty to incorporate issues relating LEP education into the university's teacher preparation curriculum.  Also, through the grant, Southeastern will produce print and audio versions of translated school policies and procedures to distribute to the parents of LEP students.  The training Project IMPACT provides will help LEP students -- and the school system -- close the gap that currently exists between LEP students and their peers on required evaluations such as the Louisiana Education Accountability Program.  For additional information about Project IMPACT, you may contact Ms. Laura Hancock at (985) 549-2229, Laura.Hancock@selu.edu.

Title III Project IMPACT Abstract

Southeastern Louisiana University is applying as the lead agency for this project.  Jefferson Parish School District has agreed to partner with Southeastern to respond to the training needs of regular classroom teachers and non instructional staff from six schools related to the education of limited English proficient (LEP) students and their parents.

Southeastern proposes to provide professional development to teachers and non-instructional staff of the following schools:  Boudreaux Elementary School, Grace King High School, Gretna Junior High, J.C. Ellis Elementary School, Meisler Middle, and West Jefferson High School.  In addition, the project proposes to provide professional development for faculty memebers in the Department of Teaching & Learning and for undergraduate teacher candidates.

The two goals central to the design of this five-year project:

1. Improve the knowledge and skills of education faculty and teacher candidiates at Southeastern Louisiana University related to meeting the needs of LEP students.
2. Prepare teachers and administrators who serve LEP students and their parents in Jefferson Parish School District.

The objectives and activities of this project will make a positive impact that will last well beyond the funding period.  The project design includes the professional development approach "turn key" that will produce a domino effect.  For example, teachers will learn to train other teachers and faculty members will train their teacher candidates.  Professional development will be delivered in the form of workshops.  The approach proposed will facillitate building capacity and increasing the knowledge base related to meeting the needs of LEP students and their parents.  Ultimately, this will have a positive and long-term impact on the academic achievement of limiited English proficient students.

Imporant school related documents in Jefferson Parish will be translated in 5 major languages, Spanish, Vietnamese, Urdu, Arabic, and Chinese.  The parents of these language groups will be able to receive information in a language they can understand.

An external evaluator will conduct formative and sumative activities to ensure that the activities will produce the desired results.  At the end of five years, this project will have impacted 6 schools, 150 teachers, 50 faculty members, more than 75 teacher candidates, 120 non-instructional staff and 525 LEP students and their parents.

Project Impact Goals

GOAL 1:  Improve the knowledge and skills of education faculty and teacher candidates at Southeastern Louisiana University related to meeting the needs of LEP students.

Objective 1.  In each project year, 10 faculty members will improve their knowledge and skills to address the needs of LEP students and their parents through in-service trainings and will have incorporated new knowledge to their syllabi.

Outcome:  By the end of project year 5, 50 faculty members will have improved their knowledge and skills to address the needs of LEP studnets and their parents.

Objective 2.  In each project year 10 faculty members will incorporate koweldge and skills in their syllabi and deliver instruction to teacher candidiates.

Outcome:  By the end of year 5, 50 faculty members will have delivered instruction to teacher candidiates enrolled in their courses about how to meet the needs of LEP students and their parents.

Objective 3.  In each project year, teacher candidates enrolled 4 methodology courses will receive training about how to address the need of LEP students.

Outcome:  Approximately 75 teacher candidates will have been exposed to knowledge and skills about how to meet the needs of LEP students.

GOAL 2:  Prepare teachers and administrators who serve LEP students and their parents in Jefferson Parish School District.

Objective 1.  In each project year, 30 different regular classroom teachers will be prepared to use effective curricula, instructional strategies, and assessment that is aligned to state academic, language, and content standards to increase the achievement of LEP students through sustained in-service trainings in the fall and in the spring.

Outcome:  By the end of year 5, 150 school regular classroom teachers will be prepared to meet the needs of LEP students.

Objective 2.  In each project year the same 30 regular classroom teachers will be prepared to use effective strategies to communicate with and involve parents in the improvement process of their schools through sustained in-service trainings.

Outcome:  By the end of year 5, a total of 150 teachers will be prepared to use effective ways to involve parents and community groups in their school improvement process.

Objective 3.  In project year 5, 12 teachers will be prepared as teacher leaders to deliver staff development related to meeting the needs of LEP students and their parents to continue to build capacity in their schools beyond the grant period.

Outcome:  By the end of year 5, 12 teachers will be prepared as leaders to continue to build capacity related to meeting the needs of LEP students beyond the grant period.

Objective 4.  In each project year, 12 different principals, assistant principals, guidance counselors and 12 different contact school personnel will participate in a summer institutute to gain knowledge and skills about how to effectively meet the needs of LEP students and theirparents.

Outcome:  By the end of year 5, 120 non-instructional personnel will be prepared during summers on how to meet the needs of LEP students and their parents.

Objective 5.  In each year of the project translators will translate important school district documents in 5 languages, Spanish, Vietnamese, Urdu, Arabic, and Chinese for dissemination to parents.

Outcome:  At the end of year 5, the school district will have important documents translated in print and in audio format in the 5 major langugages and will have disseminated them to parents.