Teacher Development Grant 2025-2026 Project Summary

Georgette Carrillo

The Language Academy • San Diego, CA

This project supports the professional development of teachers at Language Academy through advanced training and certification in the Guided Language Acquisition Design (GLAD) model—an evidence-based instructional framework developed to meet the needs of English language learners. GLAD provides teachers with integrated, balanced literacy strategies tailored to second language acquisition, fostering a collaborative, engaging, and differentiated classroom environment.

In 2023, 22 teachers—representing all grade levels and both Spanish and French immersion programs—completed the GLAD Foundations Training, generously provided by Sera Hernandez, co-chair of the Dual Language Department at SDSU and a Language Academy parent. These teachers are now committed to completing the Advanced GLAD Training and Certification, which includes a four-day workshop and a classroom demonstration with coaching and feedback.

This project will fund 10 additional teachers to complete the advanced certification over the next two years (five teachers in October 2025 and five in October 2026). GLAD certification will allow these educators to implement consistent, research-backed strategies that improve student engagement, support horizontal and vertical alignment across grade levels, and contribute to a more cohesive teaching approach across Language Academy’s trilingual programs.

By integrating GLAD strategies, teachers will offer instruction that is developmentally responsive, linguistically inclusive, and engaging—supporting Language Academy’s mission to prepare students for global citizenship through multilingualism and cultural literacy.

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