The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is partnering with Loyola Marymount University (LMU) and the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) on training programs for teachers and coaches who will instruct the district’s non-English speakers.

The LAUSD’s Multilingual and Multicultural Education Department will oversee the implementation of separate $2 million federal grants, which were awarded on Sept. 21 to LMU and the UC Davis in partnership with the LAUSD.

Over the next five years, LMU will provide professional development for 84 teachers. The university will also conduct research to improve the program and develop a replicable model for English-learner early-literacy programs. UC Davis will provide professional learning opportunities for 50 additional teachers and 25 instructional coaches.

“These partnerships with LMU and UC Davis support the district’s commitment to our English learners and our ongoing work to prepare them for college and careers,” said LAUSD superintendent Michelle King.

The funding is part of $22 million in grants awarded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of English Language Acquisition. The LAUSD enrolls approximately 160,000 English learners – more than 90 percent of whom speak Spanish as their first language.

“We are delighted and excited to be a co-recipient of these grants,” said Hilda Maldonado, executive director of the LAUSD Multilingual and Multicultural Education Department. “By investing in our teachers, we can expand our efforts to improve outcomes for our youngest English learners for years to come.”

For information, visit www.lausd.net.