Program 
Program Overview
Explore our website for information about coursework leading to the State-approved ESL endorsment, state and national resources realted to teaching English Language learners (ELLs), and other professional development opportunities.
Penn State Harrisburg offers the ESL Program Specialist and Leadership Certificate Program to P-12 educators and to candidates in the Master's in Teaching and Curriculum Program, who may be interested in obtaining the ESL endorsement from the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE). The focus of the program is on preparing educators to meet the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse learners within the P-12 classroom.
The primary goals of the program are:
- To broaden P-12 educators' knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of cultural and linguistic differences, language acquisition, literacy development, and reflective teaching practices within the ESL classroom
- To enhance P-12 educators' abilities to develop and use curricular, instructional, and assessment strategies and materials that raise the achievement levels and increase the academic success of English Language Learners (ELLs)
Candidate learning outcomes are aligned with PDE and TESOL standards.
The ESL Program Specialist and Leadership Certificate Program is the outgrowth of a five-year federally-funded grant from the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) - Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA). The program targets teachers in urban, rural, and suburban school districts within the Penn State Harrisburg service area.
Certified teachers in Harrisburg, Lancaster, and York School Districts have been receiving funding for tuition and fees to complete the course requirements for the ESL endorsement. However, certified teachers in the surrounding Intermediate Units (IU 12, 13, 15, and 29) are also eligible for grant support. The ESL courses themselves have been offered on Penn State campuses in Harrisburg, Hazelton, The Lancaster Center, Schuylkill, and York.
