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Equity for Multilingual learners, by Providing Opportunities for family engagement, through Web access, and Educational Resources


As a National Professional Development grant, Project EMPOWER is a five-year collaboration between the University of Alabama at Birmingham and:

  • Alabaster City School District
  • Birmingham City Schools
  • Hoover City Schools
  • Jefferson County Schools
  • Pelham City School District
  • Shelby County Schools
  • Tarrant City Schools
  • Birmingham City Public Library

Funded through the Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA) in the U.S. Department of Education, EMPOWER provides tuition support toward graduate degrees in education and ESOL certification for practicing teachers and pre-service teachers in partnering districts. Coursework and additional professional development in partnering schools address all aspects of multilingual learners' (MLs) educational experiences, with an emphasis on promoting authentic family engagement to advance ML learning and school readiness.

Empower Infographic

Aspects of EMPOWER

  • TESOL degree and certification scholarships - to prepare in-service educators in partnering school districts, and pre-service teachers, to work with MLs and promote family engagement
  • Professional learning and development - for in-service educators in the areas of best practices for teaching in classrooms that have multi-lingual learners and for effective family engagement
  • Family engagement and preparation - for supporting their multi-lingual learners in learning and school readiness

EMPOWER Grant Scholarships

EMPOWER's TESOL Degree and Certification Scholarships: EMPOWER Scholarship Information and Application

UAB's ESL Degrees



Contact Information

If you still have questions after exploring the resources on this webpage, please feel free to contact us.

Questions regarding EMPOWER
Aileen McElwain, Program Manager
Email

Questions regarding degree tracks

Dr. Josephine Prado, Program Coordinator of ESL Teacher Education and Associate Professor of English Learner Education
Email