Framingham State Program To Boost Bilingual Teachers In City Schools

FRAMINGHAM, MA — Framingham State has been awarded a $1.7 million AmeriCorps grant to start a teacher residency program that would increase the number of diverse, multilingual teachers in Framingham public schools.

Here's more from a Framingham State news release:

Framingham State University and Framingham Public Schools are preparing to launch the Framingham Teacher Residency AmeriCorps Program aimed at guiding applicants from bilingual and underrepresented backgrounds toward teaching careers at the secondary level.

A teacher residency is a hands-on learning experience that embeds a candidate in a school district with a professional mentor and academic coursework that is directly related to their classroom experience. It is similar to the model used in the medical profession.

The program, which launches this fall, will place participants at Fuller Middle School and Cameron Middle School, which are Title I schools that are developing dual-language programs within the Framingham Public School district.

“It’s been really inspiring talking to the teacher applicants for this program,” says FSU English Professor Kelly Matthews, who co-authored the grant application with Education Professor Wardell Powell.

The $1.7 million grant from the federal AmeriCorps program, awarded via the Massachusetts Service Alliance, will be divided over three years, with $574,697 being provided for the first year of the program. Those funds will cover 46 percent of the total cost, while the remaining 54 percent will be covered by FSU and FPS through in-kind contributions totaling $666,301, including $382,000 in federal Title I funding. Program expenses include training, course enrollment, stipends for participants and more. If all goes well, the grant is eligible for renewal after three years.

Planning for the residency program began last fall, when FSU received a $74,855 planning grant to further pursue the residency program.

“I’m excited for this opportunity to help the Framingham Public School district, which has many students who do not speak English,” says Powell. “Having teachers who speak the language of their students is paramount to success.”

At Framingham Public Schools, as in most Massachusetts districts, more than 80 percent of the teachers are white, despite the fact that white students make up less than 50 percent of the public school population.

Other key contributors to the grant are Framingham Public Schools Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources, Inna Kantor London, Dr. Everton Vargas da Costa, who is the Coordinator of Talent Acquisition, Learning & Growth, and Tiago Gadens, Associate Director of HR and Talent Development, Framingham Public Schools.

“National Service is an essential part of the solution to many of the challenges that the Commonwealth faces as we continue to recover from the effects of COVID-19,” said Emily Haber, CEO of the Massachusetts Service Alliance. “These AmeriCorps members will meet pressing local needs and strengthen communities as they develop civic and leadership skills to last a lifetime. I congratulate these outstanding organizations and thank all those who serve their communities through AmeriCorps.”

The Residency Program will be open to undergraduate, graduate and post-baccalaureate students, according to Powell. The program will be an option for current FSU students, as well as paraprofessionals within public school systems interested in advancing to full teaching roles, and members of the broader community who may have an interest in teaching.

Candidates who successfully complete the residency program can expect teaching opportunities within Framingham Public Schools. The first cohort for the upcoming academic year is already in place, but anyone interested in learning more about future opportunities can visit: https://www.framingham.k12.ma.us/FTR