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DLAC Success Story: How Burbank Adult School Launched an online ESL Program
Posted on 07/16/2026
Burbank Adult School
Burbank Adult School (BAS) delivers adult education and literacy services to the Burbank community as well as the surrounding region. Through the digital leadership academy’s coursework, BAS identified an extraordinary need to address growing demands for ESL instruction while facing limited physical space to host classes. With 3,730 students enrolled, there was no more physical capacity on-site.
The team decided their plan to meet this need was to establish the groundwork for the development of an online ESL program, hire instructors, purchase laptops, and begin instruction in both the morning and evening. Overall, the pilot has been a success, and the online classes now give them a great opportunity to meet students’ needs.p.
Another benefit to being in DLAC is getting individualized coaching, guidance, and mentorship throughout the program to achieve their goals. The Burbank DLAC team received “ongoing coaching support from [DLAC coach and OTAN subject matter expert] Christina Hyatt for optimizing Northstar curriculum use in ESL and CTE”.
Hear Jake’s Testimonial
“JAKE BALDWIN: Hi, my name is Jake. I'm from Burbank Adult School. I am a DLAC-er with my principal, Todd, and my WIOA coordinator, Yanira. And it's been an incredible experience.
We piloted a brand new ESL course online, and this has been really impactful for our students. And I-- words can't express how great this has really been for our campus. And I'm just so grateful I got to be a part of this.
We worked with Christina, and she's an incredible coach. Neda was an amazing coordinator, and made sure that everyone was on track. And this really just gave us the fire under our feet to get going on something that we've been wanting to do for a really long time. And I'm so excited that we're really rolling with this. And in the future, I can't wait to see what we are still able to do.”
Watch Jake’s testimonial video here (Accessible Version)
