ABSTRACT
Across the United States and around the world, schools have begun to shift policy and practice to embrace and emphasize the notion of inclusion. US schools have growing numbers of English learners (EL) in general education birth-through-grade-12 classrooms, resulting in a culturally and linguistically heterogeneous student population in urban, suburban, and rural schools. Data indicate that 9.1% of students enrolled in public schools are ELs. Increasing numbers of ELs create challenges for schools, specifically the need to employ teachers who are well equipped to meet ELs’ needs. Loyola faculty designed Teaching, Learning, and Leading With Schools and Communities (TLLSC) to prepare candidates across all programs of study with the understandings, knowledge, skills, and dispositions to meet the needs of inclusive schools with increasingly diverse student populations. This focus reflects Loyola’s School of Education mission of social justice through education. The TLLSC program employs a targeted and integrated approach to preparing teachers for inclusive educational settings.
