What is Project HAPPENS? Project HAPPENS is a five-year national professional development grant funded through the U.S. Department of Education. Project HAPPENS is designed to expand the number of educational professionals trained to work with English Learners (ELs) in elementary and secondary schools. Through Project HAPPENS, educational personnel in the region will receive professional development training as well as degree coursework that will prepare them to serve the needs of linguistically diverse learners in local school systems. What are the project's goals? Project HAPPENS has three primary goals. Deliver high quality professional training to educational personnel who work with English Learners in the local school systems. Deliver degree coursework to pre-service and in-service teachers who are preparing to work with English Learners in the local school systems. Host an online repository of information and resources to enhance access to relevant, high quality materials that will allow educational personnel to most effectively meet the needs of linguistically and culturally diverse learners. Who is eligible for Project HAPPENS training? Educational personnel from local school systems are eligible to receive training through Project HAPPENS. This includes our Professional Development Workshop Series (state-approved CEU/PLU credits awarded) and pursuing degree coursework to prepare for the PRAXIS II-ESOL and ESL Certification by Test. How will Project HAPPENS benefit the community? Project HAPPENS will benefit the community through its support and training of educational personnel who are meeting the needs of English Learners in the local school systems. Through the Professional Training Workshop Series and the degree coursework, the Project prepares teachers and administrators to work with linguistically and culturally diverse students. Because research shows that best practices for ELs typically correlate meaningfully with best practices for all students, the training educators receive through Project HAPPENS will benefit not only English Learners but all students in the local school systems. Where can I get more information about Project HAPPENS? If you have any questions about the scope or activities of Project HAPPENS, please don't hesitate to contact us at projecthappens@uah.edu.
