Project CELLS

The Western New York Collaboration for ELL Success (Project CELLS) is a collaborative partnership among the Warner School of Education, the Rochester City School District, Mid-West Regional Bilingual Education Resource Network, and Monroe 2-Orleans, Wayne-Finger Lakes and Genesee Valley BOCES that aims to provide students who are learning English with access to high-quality instruction across academic subjects and prepare them for success beyond high school. Project CELLS is dedicated to helping school personnel — including teachers, counselors and leaders — better serve English language learners, as well as increase the number of highly-qualified teachers certified in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. Funded by a five-year National Professional Development grant, Project CELLS offers the following: 1) scholarships for new and veteran teachers to earn TESOL certification; 2) professional development programs for Warner School of Education faculty as well as current TESOL and content-area teachers, counselors and school leaders; and 3) curriculum to help refugee and immigrant students with little experience of formal education understand their choices within the U.S. educational system.