A new five-year US federal grant will support educators across South Dakota to strengthen instruction for multilingual learners, with Lexis Education contributing its expertise in language-informed pedagogy.
We’re delighted to share that Black Hills Special Services Cooperative (BHSSC) has been awarded a five-year federal grant through the US Department of Education’s National Professional Development program to launch SD LIFT — South Dakota Language-Informed Instruction Framework for Teachers.
Lexis Education is proud to be a project partner in this exciting initiative, which aims to strengthen teaching and learning for multilingual learners through professional learning, instructional coaching and English as a New Language (ENL) endorsement opportunities.
Supporting teachers to make language visible across the curriculum
Learning a language and learning through language are closely connected. For multilingual learners to succeed across the curriculum, they need opportunities to develop the language required to understand concepts, engage with subject content and communicate their ideas effectively.
At Lexis Education, we work with educators to make the language demands of teaching and learning more explicit. Our professional learning programs support teachers to understand how language works in different curriculum areas and how they can help students develop the language resources they need to succeed.
SD LIFT provides an exciting opportunity to extend this work, supporting educators to strengthen their practice and build sustainable expertise within their schools and districts.
A lasting impact for educators and students
The project aims to:
- Support at least 160 educators across eight South Dakota school districts.
- Provide ENL endorsement coursework for 24 educators.
- Develop local instructional leaders who can sustain professional learning within their districts.
- Benefit approximately 2,240 students through improved classroom instruction.
By combining professional learning with instructional coaching and local leadership development, SD LIFT aims to build capacity that continues beyond the five-year grant period.
Collaboration at the heart of the project
The initiative brings together organisations committed to improving educational opportunities for multilingual learners. Alongside BHSSC, project partners include Dakota Wesleyan University, Lexis Education and the South Dakota Statewide Title III Consortium. The South Dakota Department of Education has also endorsed the initiative.
We’re particularly pleased to recognise Gwyneth Dean-Witte Fastnacht and Tanya Vietk, both Lexis Education TEMC Certified Tutors, whose involvement has helped bring this exciting initiative to life.
We look forward to working with BHSSC and our project partners over the next five years and to seeing the impact of this work across South Dakota.
Interested in strengthening language-informed teaching in your school?
Get in touch to discuss how we can support your teachers to place language at the heart of teaching and learning.