The Center for the Study of Education Policy (CSEP) is the recent recipient of a $60,000 Stone Foundation grant to develop a series of micro-credentials designed to create more equitable and supportive environments for English Language Learners in schools. The audience for these micro-credentials will be district and school leaders and school board members. Partners with this project include the Latino Policy Forum, whose EL Handbook is going to serve as the foundation for the micro-credentials, six Regional Offices of Education, Intermediate Service Center #40, and BloomBoard.
Micro-credentials are competency-based professional learning “modules” in which participants earn a credential based on successfully passing a performance-based assessment. Successful completion leads to one Illinois Administrator Academy credit or 30 PD hours and is also designated on a participant’s Illinois educator license.
According to Dr. Erika Hunt, who will be leading this work, “In the midst of COVID-19, micro-credentials have become a more viable route to obtaining professional development. This project will build on previous work with the Stone-funded Leadership for Equity (LFE) Micro-Credential series of stackable credentials for district leaders, school principals, and aspiring leaders. Funding for this project will expand the micro-credential portfolio developed and used by LEAD Hubs.”
Currently, in Illinois, six Regional Offices of Education serve as LEAD Hubs designed to maximize regional resources, build regional capacity, and create a highly successful, sustainable leadership pipeline. Through this design, LEAD Hubs serve as a broker for professional development and supports for prep programs and school districts on how to develop leaders who can build and support equity-oriented and culturally responsive practices. This grant will deepen the equity work of LEAD Hubs by making content from the EL Handbook into a series of micro-credentials offered by LEAD Hubs for school board members, district administrators, and building principals.
More information about the Latino Policy Forum’s EL Handbook can be found here.
