Project ROYAL

Rigorous Opportunities for Young-children to Accelerate Language: Effects of the Sobrato Early Academic Language (SEAL) Model

In 2016, The School of Education lead a professional development program titled Project ROYAL (Rigorous Opportunities for Young-children to Accelerate Language): Effects of the Sobrato Early Academic Language (SEAL) Model. The two primary goals of Project ROYAL were to improve and increase classroom strategies in grades TK-3 to advance outcomes of English Learners and other students and to help build the bilingual teacher pipeline and support a replicable model.

Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, the multi-year grant project included partnerships with the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) - Local District Central, LAUSD's Multicultural and Multilingual Education Department (MMED), the Wexford Institute, and the Sobrato Family Foundation (SFF), developer of the SEAL Model. The project provided intensive professional development to 84 in-service teachers and 18 LMU School of Education pre-service teachers. Additionally, the Center for Equity for English Learners at LMU researched the effects of the SEAL model.

Project ROYAL teacher participants were trained in SEAL Model strategies, which research has shown to increase English Learner student achievement and language growth*. "There has been a spark that has gone off in my mind and heart. I've been so inspired by what I've seen and heard," stated a Project ROYAL teacher after participating in a SEAL Model Professional Development at her campus. In addition to providing professional development to participating teachers, the project also offered multiple opportunities for family engagement through classroom gallery walks and parent workshops. Finally, the project built leadership capacity by including leadership and professional development for coaches, principals, and district leadership.

Project ROYAL came in the wake of the passage of Proposition 58, which was embraced by voters in November 2016 and repealed restrictive English-only education for English Learners. In 2017, the CA State Board of Education adopted the English Learner Roadmap, which guides districts in understanding and educating linguistically diverse students. As well, the State Superintendent recently launched Global California 2030, an initiative dedicated to expanding multilingual programs in public schools throughout the state.

In 2019, New America released a blog post and video titled, LAUSD's commitment to high quality professional learning and student programs. Both elevated the work of Project ROYAL and the immersive, ongoing, and student-focused teacher professional learning participants received.

Visit our ROYAL scholars page for highlights of our program scholars.