Indiana University Southeast and Indiana University Kokomo work together to help teachers earn ESL certification

Indiana University Southeast and Indiana University Kokomo have partnered to help support teachers as they become prepared to teach their students English as a Second Language. The first cohort of the program ran last year, with eight teachers from Logansport Community Schools, where more than half of students speak a language other than English in their homes, earning the English as a New Language/English as a Second Language certification.

According to an article on Indiana University’s website, Tara Kingsley, who serves as IU Kokomo’s interim associate dean of education, was quoted as saying of the program and IU Kokomo’s partnership with IU Southeast, “Because of this partnership with IU Southeast, we can meet the needs of our region, offering something they already had that is needed here, in a way that can be tailored to our region. It’s nice to be able to connect with other campuses and think creatively about programs we can offer that would serve the needs of our region and not have to build those programs from scratch.”

While there are programs available online that teachers can participate in to earn the English as a New Language/English as a Second Language certification, the program offered by IU Kokomo and IU Southeast is a hybrid program that includes faculty members from both campuses and local experts from throughout the community.

Kingsley said, “We really love having that partnership of being able to embed some of our own faculty and our own staff into the program and having it here has been a really big benefit. When you’re able to add that personal touch, it just impacts how you receive and take away the information. We have a long-standing relationship with IUK, with our paraprofessional program, Tomorrow’s Teachers, and the teacher residency program. This is another example of how you can work together to do amazing things, not only for our teachers, but for our students and community as well.”

The Fall 2026 cohort of the program will include teachers from North White School Corporation and Frankfort Community Schools. Kingsley noted that the program can always add more schools, as long as there are teachers from those schools seeking to pursue the certification.

For more information about Indiana University Southeast, visit the school’s website.

For more information about Indiana University Kokomo, visit the school’s website.