¡D.A.L.E.! (Developing Academic Leaders In Education) is a paid, ongoing fellowship that develops and prepares teams of ESL teachers and general education teachers to better support students who are English language learners so that they can thrive at school.
More than 2,500 students in New Orleans are English Language Learners (ELL) and that population continues to grow. In 2017, the average ACT score for high school students who were ELL was 15.5, far below the national average ACT score of 20.8. Overall, the graduation rate for students who are ELL in New Orleans is only 30%.
To support these students, OVNV is dedicated to building the capacity of our teachers and supporting them as academic leaders in our city.
About the fellowship:
¡DALE! (Developing Academic Leaders In Education) is a paid, ongoing fellowship that will select four school teams to develop EL teachers and general education teachers. It’s mission is to develop highly skilled teams of teachers to improve the quality of EL programming in schools and create environments where students who are EL will thrive.
In 2019, ¡DALE! will select four school teams of three teachers each. Teams will be made up of an EL teacher/coordinator and two general education teachers. During the course of the one year fellowship, fellows will focus on grounding their teaching in equity, creating culturally equitable spaces for students, EL best practices, and teaching techniques. For the second half of the fellowship, fellows will create projects using design thinking that will be implemented school wide in order to better support students who are EL.
Fellowship structure:
By accepting teams, ¡DALE! ensures that the development attained during the course of the fellowship doesn’t just affect a single classroom, but instead creates school-wide change. ¡DALE! targets high school teams to boost graduation rate and dramatically increase educational outcomes for students who are EL. Every year one K-8 school will be accepted into the program in order to strengthen the continuity of inclusive educational practices as students progress from one educational setting to the next.
Strategies and practices cannot be properly utilized in a school without first changing mindsets. The fellowship begins with a weekend retreat focused on equity and cultural responsiveness to lay the foundation for future sessions. Afterwards fellows meet in-person once a month for in-depth learning session. In between in-person sessions, fellows participate in virtual workshops to practice and refine what they learned. At the end of the fellowship, fellows will participate in an event to showcase their design projects to educational leaders from across the city and state.
Meet last year’s ¡D.A.L.E! cohort with fellows from McMain, Carver, Cohen, & Encore!
MICHELLE DOMINGUE
I am a sixth-year geometry teacher who will be working in the capacity of mentor teacher to foster better instructional practices and provide professional support for all math teachers at Eleanor McMain Secondary School. I am excited to collaborate with my team members to create ways to incorporate strategies for academic and social resilience in our respective learning environments. I also look forward to gaining insights on how to build more inclusive settings for all students but especially English Language Learners.
DAIMONT STAPLES
I am going into my 7th year of teaching. I’ve always taught the high school sciences and throughout these years I have become an ELL case manager as well as an academic coach. I’m excited to join this fellowship so that I can better serve students especially in the social and emotional capacity. Gaining concrete tools to empower other teachers to appropriately modify and accommodate is something I am looking forward to learning so that it can have a far reaching impact on students.
KATHLEEN WARNER
My journey in education started in operations but moved about three years ago to the classroom. I have the privilege of teaching a math intervention course and approximately a third of my students are learning English as they are also growing their skills in math. I could not be more excited for the opportunity to gain the skills that my kids deserve to be and feel successful in the classroom! This fellowship will allow me to help my students open doors that we all may not have thought possible before.
EMMA MERRILL
I am an ESL teacher and director of the EL program at George Washington Carver High School. I’m excited to join the Dale fellowship because I will learn about ways I can improve my own school’s program, and will also get to collaborate with other schools across the city!
ERIK ZAVALA
My role in education is to provide English Language Learners with service that they deserve. I am thrilled to join this fellowship because I will be able to apply the knowledge I learned towards my school.
KAT SAMPSON
On the surface, I’m a secondary math teacher. Upon closer look, I’m a confidant, facilitator, mediator, periodic fashion adviser, snack provider and confidence builder. I can’t wait to go through the D.A.L.E. Fellowship to gather with hardworking educators and community members to problem solve and propel our city forward.
LEVI ROWLAND
I am a French teacher and ESL instructor in pre-k through 8th grade here in New Orleans. I also love serving as a translator and interpreter at my school and working with general education teachers to help advocate for our English language learners. I’m excited to join this fellowship because I am always looking for better ways to advocate for our English language learners and to provide them the best possible education we can.
GABRIELLE STEIB
I am an ELL educator at ENCORE, from New Orleans with my maternal side being immigrants from Mexico and Nicaragua. With the influx of immigrants in New Orleans from Latin America I feel it is my duty to aid the people that I understand the most. I am excited about this fellowship because our students deserve culturally relevant material as well as a school system that strives to assist them. I want the ELL students to thrive through opportunities that are unique to their needs which often are needed outside of the classroom as well.
JESSICA MEDLOCK
I am a 6th Grade Social Studies/Science Project-Based teacher. I am excited to learn about new strategies and structures that will benefit my ELL students and their families.