DANVERS — Superintendent Heidi Riccio is pleased to announce that Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School District has been chosen to partake in a regional professional development initiative.
Essex Tech is among five districts in Essex County that have been selected to participate in the second offering of the Essex County Learning Community (ECLC).
Each district in the two-year ECLC program will form a group of approximately 12 educators, including assistant superintendents, department directors, principals, data specialists, guidance counselors and general and special education teachers. Each group will then take part in several professional development opportunities about topics including diverse learning assets, the needs of students with learning disabilities, learning and attention issues, exposure to trauma, and the experiences of individuals who face systemic bias pertaining to race, ethnicity, language, income and gender.
The goal of the ECLC is to support educators in implementing the most up-to-date practices to support students with a diverse range of needs, and to ensure those needs are being met.
“This program was crafted to provide Essex County educators with the opportunity to receive the necessary training to best support and teach students with a myriad of abilities,” Superintendent Riccio said. “We are incredibly thankful to have been accepted into this cohort of the program, and look forward to the growth these trainings and events will bring.”
Other districts selected for the ECLC include Andover Public Schools, Hamilton Wenham Regional School District, Manchester Essex Regional School District and Saugus Public Schools.
The ECLC program is funded by the Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower Foundation which works alongside nonprofit organizations and community groups to support young people with intellectual disabilities, learning disabilities, mental health issues and substance use disorders. The Essex County Community Foundation, an organization that works to improve the quality of life of Essex County residents, also provides financial support to the ECLC.
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