The Duarte Silva Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Fellowship has been established within the California Language Teachers’ Association (CLTA)  Awards Program to advance the organization’s DEI Mission and goals in this dimension of its work. The Fellowship is part of the CLTA awards process with its own application and selection criteria, and will be awarded to one recipient each year at the Annual Conference Awards Ceremony. The fellowship is endowed in its entirety by Duarte Silva. 

The requirements:

1. Evidence that the applicant has been a member of CLTA for at least two years. Get email confirmation from membership@clta.net (cc registrar@clta.net on all correspondence).

2. Evidence that the applicant is in a position related to the teaching and learning of a world language and/or classical language.

3. The applicant will submit a recent CV, three letters of recommendation, a philosophy of teaching statement, and a description of the proposed project (see below for more details).

4. In the year following their award, the recipient agrees to deliver a presentation or webinar for CLTA that will feature the outcomes of the project or activity supported by the fellowship. 

5. It is highly encouraged that the recipient attend the annual CLTA conference in order to receive the award.

We encourage applicants to review the scoring rubric as they prepare the application.

Award Amount: $1,000

Application must be received by January 25, 2025, 11:59 PM PST.

Applicants should focus their application in ONE of the following three areas:

• Professional learning opportunities: The applicant should describe a professional learning opportunity they wish to purse, whether within or outside CLTA, to expand their abilities to incorporate DEI in their world language educational context. The professional development program for which the applicant seeks support should equip the candidate with enhanced knowledge, skills, and dispositions to address DEI issues in their classroom, school, and/or district.
• Project or activity: The applicant should develop a curriculum initiative and/or student project(s) that would enable students to develop awareness of DEI issues and their impact on their immediate environment as well as our society at large. These initiatives or projects would directly engage students in acquiring and applying the concepts inherent in DEI in the form of sponsored activities, internships or other special projects that promote equitable educational opportunities and social justice in our society. Additionally, the applicant should propose  a project or activity that is not addressed by the above bulleted statements but is deemed by the CLTA Awards Committee and the donor to fulfill the intent and spirit of the Duarte Silva DEI Fellowship Award. 
• Propose an alternative project or activity that is not addressed by the above bulleted statements but is deemed by the CLTA Awards Committee and the donor to fulfill the intent and spirit of the Duarte Silva DEI Fellowship Award.