We need hope for the future of bilingual education in Texas
The ongoing growth of the linguistically diverse student population and the vast diversity of languages present in Texas generally and the North Central Texas Region specifically requires an ever increasing corps of bilingually and English as a second language (ESL) certified teachers.
These newly certified bilingual and ESL teachers have need of high-quality bilingual teacher education programs that equip them to effectively teach in both English and Spanish, as students learn academic content in Spanish while simultaneously learning English as a second language, ultimately achieving the goal of fluency and literacy in English. Yet a critical shortage in the numbers of bilingually certified teachers in Texas plagues many of the state's diverse school districts.
Why has the recruitment and retention of bilingually certified teachers become increasingly difficult? Incentives are offered — signing bonuses in some school districts, annual stipends ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 or more, the promise of partially or fully funded graduate degrees and the rewards of assisting English language learners (ELLs) in achieving academic success. The mandates to equitably and effectively teach all children regardless of citizenship or immigration status or first language are in place as determined by the 1964 Civil Rights Act, Lau vs. Nichols, Plyler vs. Doe, to mention only a few legal precedents.
(Smiley N. Pool/Staff Photographer)
The need for more of these teachers clearly exists. According to a Texas Tribune article, "Texas school districts struggle to recruit bilingually certified teachers," and at a time when there are at least 300,000 more bilingual students today than there were 10 years ago. However, budgets allot for 6,000 fewer appropriately certified teachers who can teach them. And more bilingual teachers are leaving the profession for retirement and from overwork resulting from the teacher shortage and rationed resources.
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