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ARKADELPHIA, June 21, 2021--Arkansas educators recently attended the first six days of the

Southwest ESOL Institute. Attendance at the Southwest ESOL Institute signifies a teacher’s
commitment to best classroom practices for helping students acquire knowledge while
developing their academic English. The Institute is a 10-day, intense training in the field of
English to Speakers of Other Languages. Six days were completed this summer, while the other
four will be completed on Saturdays throughout the 2021-2022 school year. The Institute is
100% funded by a grant from the Arkansas Department of Education.
Teachers heard from nationally recognized speakers such as Lynda Franco, Mark Vasquez, and
Keith Folse. Local teachers who are experts in their field provided real-world scenarios through
demonstrations and panel discussions. Through the Institute, teachers earn 12 hours of
graduate credit, making them eligible to take the ESOL Praxis test and add English as a Second
Language to their teaching license.
Cutter Morning Star School District is proud to have Maria Pinkerton-Richardson participating in the ESOL Institute.