Stacy Duran, a teacher at Roosevelt Middle School of Dubuque Community Schools (IA), has been named the Open Up Resources EL Education K–8 Language Arts Teacher of the Month for April. Duran is being recognized for her outstanding work in her classroom and ongoing support of teachers across the country as a member of the Open Up Resources National Professional Learning Community.

Duran’s work with EL Education K–8 Language Arts makes her one of the most innovative teachers in the country. The EL Education K–8 Language Arts curriculum inspires a new way of teaching language arts by engaging students through compelling, real-world content to build equitable and inclusive learning opportunities.

Kirstin George, the Secondary ELA Curriculum Coordinator for the Dubuque Community School District, nominated Duran for her leadership in implementing the curriculum. George shared, “As a leader in her building, Stacy keeps morale high and pushes teachers to go outside their comfort zones to make the changes needed to meet the needs of students. She is a model teacher for our district, and we are lucky to have her.”

In her nomination, George went on to share, “Stacy has fully embraced EL Education. Even with the struggles and hurdles we have faced this year, she has forged ahead to do what is best for her students.”

Duran appreciates the spiraling-nature of the curriculum’s resources and materials. She explained, “The spiraling allows students the opportunity to practice the skills and standards multiple times. I love watching students make connections between current practice and prior opportunities.” 

And she offered some insight: “This curriculum is robust, but it is a quality curriculum that students are finding a lot of success with.”

Open Up Resources is a non-profit on a mission to increase equity in education by making excellent, top-rated curricula freely available to districts. You can learn more at www.openupresources.org. Learn more about our National Professional Learning Communities here.