Initiatives
The multifaceted nature of ALMA’s outreach recognizes that Catholic school communities have diverse needs, assets, and opportunities. ALMA programs support school communities wherever they find themselves by forming expert educators and advancing transformational school practices.
ALMA programs are designed to be layered to promote ongoing formation. Many encompass one or more years, positioning participants to acquire credentials and take on new leadership roles in their schools or diocese. Others, however, offer a more concentrated, short-term approach, such as summer conferences and professional development sessions, while still providing deeply impactful formation, tangible resources, and innovative practices.
Forming Educators
These programs are ideal for individuals or small groups of educators seeking to become teacher leaders and advance their professional expertise in working with multicultural learners and communities.
ENL Hernandez Fellows
The ENL Hernandez Fellows program is a graduate-level program for educators who want to earn their ENL/ESL endorsement. Over the course of three semesters, participants take 18 credits centered on strategies to support multilingual learners. The program involves a brief summer session on the campus of the University of Notre Dame, as well as online courses throughout the academic year.
Latino Educator and Administrator Development
The Latino Educator and Administrator Development program (LEAD) is a year-long leader formation program that aims to amplify Latino voices in Catholic education. The program is designed to form, advance, and retain educators by providing professional development and mentorship rooted in Catholic community.
Transforming Schools
These programs are designed to transform an entire school community through longitudinal partnerships and expert mentoring.
Latino Engagement Institute
The Latino Engagement Institute (LEI) supports Catholic schools in developing culturally responsive leadership and family-engagement practices that strengthen relationships with Latino families. The program begins with a four-day summer conference at the University of Notre Dame and continues with year-long formation through online modules, monthly mentor calls, and a mid-year winter retreat.
ENL Professional Development
The ALMA Initiative offers customizable professional development experiences for schools. Professional development sessions integrate theory and practical strategies, ensuring that educators feel equipped to meet the needs of multicultural and multilingual students. Online and onsite options are available.
Early Childhood Language Intensive Program
The Early Childhood Language Intensive Program (ECLIP) helps Catholic schools implement bilingual programming at the preschool and early childhood level. ECLIP provides curricular resources and teacher formation to develop foundational literacy skills in Spanish and pedagogically rich, engaging lessons.