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Teachers

Bilingual Teacher Shortage Requires Immediate Action: Study Shows That Bilingual Teachers Exist, But They Require Professional Development

July 10, 2017 by Van Ou

LONG BEACH, Ca — July 11, 2017 –   A new report released by Californians Together shows that many school districts across the state are currently facing a growing bilingual teacher shortage, and that in the near term, there is a pool of at least 7,000 bilingual teachers who are well positioned to begin to address this shortage, and need to be supported with professional development. [Read more…] about Bilingual Teacher Shortage Requires Immediate Action: Study Shows That Bilingual Teachers Exist, But They Require Professional Development

Filed Under: Press Releases, Reports Tagged With: Biliteracy, Teachers

La Opinión: La educación bilingüe va en aumento, pero hace falta capacitar a los maestros

July 7, 2017 by Claudia Vizcarra

Los años noventa en California fueron marcados por un sentimiento antiinmigrante. En ese entonces, Pete Wilson—prominente partidario de deportaciones—era gobernador. Con su respaldo, los votantes aprobaron la Propuesta 187en 1994, la cual hubiera negado educación y servicios de salud a gente indocumentada, de no haber sido declarada anticonstitucional por la Corte Suprema.

Asimismo, los votantes aprobaron la Propuesta 227 en 1998, cuya meta era eliminar los programas bilingües en las escuelas públicas y que se mantuvo en vigor hasta el año pasado cuando 73% de los votantes de California aprobaron la Propuesta 58. Esta medida derogó el requisito de “solo inglés” en las escuelas públicas establecido por la Propuesta 227.

Hoy día los programas de educación bilingüe van en aumento a lo largo del estado y las escuelas públicas están en busca de maestros capacitados para ayudar a los alumnos a desarrollar dos idiomas.

El Distrito Unificado Escolar de Los Ángeles (LAUSD, por sus siglas en inglés) está encabezando estos esfuerzos con la apertura de 16 nuevos programas de educación bilingüe este año escolar, con lo que el número total asciende a 101.

En la mayoría de los programas bilingües de las escuelas públicas, el segundo idioma suele ser el español, pero también se ofrecen programas en armenio, chino mandarín, coreano, francés y ruso, entre otros.

Sin embargo, por haber crecido durante esa época antiinmigrante, muchas de las personas que ahora son maestros suelen batallar para comunicarse en su lengua materna, ya que hablar el idioma en casa no sustituye la oportunidad de estudiarlo formalmente en la escuela.

Por ello, algunos maestros han regresado a las aulas, con fin de afinar su destreza en su lengua materna en universidades como Cal State Domínguez Hills.

En entrevista con la radioemisora KPCC, Shelly Spiegel-Coleman, defensora de la educación bilingüe y directora ejecutiva de Californians Together, informó que la actual escasez de maestros bilingües está por redoblarse. Para afrontarla, Spiegel-Coleman consiguió fondos del gobierno estatal para proporcionar becas a maestros que busquen capacitarse en un segundo idioma.

“Necesitamos pensar en crear [un sistema educativo que genere personas bilingües]”, dijo Spiegel-Coleman, el cual debe incluir a los que están por graduarse de las preparatorias con sellos de bilingüismo en sus diplomas.

Lea el artículo

Filed Under: Media Coverage Tagged With: Biliteracy, Teachers

CHECK THIS ONE

May 22, 2017 by Claudia Vizcarra

Your help is needed in moving our sponsored bill, AB 952 (Reyes), which addresses the shortage of bilingual teachers by establishing the Bilingual Teacher Professional Development Program off the Suspense File of the Assembly Appropriations Committee. AB 952 would establish the Bilingual Teacher Professional Development Program which provides professional development to two categories of credentialed teachers interested in teaching in bilingual classrooms/programs: 1) teachers who have a bilingual authorization but have taught only in English only classrooms and 2) teachers who are fluent in another language in addition to English. AB 952 (Reyes) addresses the shortage of bilingual teachers by proposing an approach that will expeditiously create a cadre of bilingual teachers. Please click on this link to send the letter to the members of Assembly Appropriations Committee who will be hearing this bill.

Filed Under: Action Alerts, Uncategorized Tagged With: Biliteracy, Teachers

WHAT’s this

May 22, 2017 by Claudia Vizcarra

Your help is needed in obtaining funding for professional development to two categories of credential teachers interested in teaching in bilingual classrooms/programs: 1) teachers who have a bilingual authorization but are teaching in English only classrooms and 2) teachers who are fluent in another language in addition to English but do not have a bilingual authorization. Professional development for these teachers is an approach that will expeditiously create a cadre of bilingual teachers. Funding for professional development for these teachers is critical! Please click here to send a letter to the members of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee 2: Education Finance.

Filed Under: Action Alerts Tagged With: Biliteracy, Teachers

Take Action to Support Addressing Bilingual Teacher Shortage – AB 952

November 28, 2016 by Claudia Vizcarra

Letters needed to help solve the Bilingual Teacher Shortage

Currently there is a significant shortage of bilingual teachers and these numbers will only grow as districts begin to implement new and expanded dual and other bilingual programs encouraged by the passage of Proposition 58, The Education for a Global Economy Act. The proposition passed with 73.5% of the electorate voting yes and this new support for multilingual education can only be implemented if there are bilingual teachers prepared to work in dual and other bilingual programs.

Assembly Member Eloise Gomez Reyes is authoring AB 952 (hot link), The Bilingual Teacher Professional Development Program. This legislation would establish consortiums to provide professional development for current bilingual teachers who have been teaching for five years or more in English only programs and for teachers who are native speakers of other languages and who wish to possess a bilingual certification.

In addition, the proposed legislation would encourage recruitment of the state Seal of Biliteracy awardees to enter into the teacher preparation programs and the creation of alternative support programs to increase the pipeline of bilingual teachers.

We need to send a letter (hot link) to Assembly Member Reyes thanking her for authoring this important bill and demonstrating the support she has for moving forward with this initiative.

Click on the link below to send your letter to Assembly Member Reyes. She needs to hear from all of us.

Use the “Forward to a Friend” link below to encourage your colleagues, family and friends to also send a letter.

Send you letter today!

Filed Under: Action Alerts Tagged With: Biliteracy, Teachers

Call on the Budget Conference Committee to ensure funds for ELD and Bilingual Teacher Shortage are included

June 2, 2016 by Claudia Vizcarra

 

Budget Item 6110-125-0890 Issue: 816

 

It’s that time again! The legislative Budget Conference Committee is at work reconciling differences in actions taken by the Assembly and the Senate Budget Committees specific to the May Revision State Budget 2016-17.

Your help is needed NOW!! Please call and click on the link that say “Click here to Email Legislator” at the bottom of this action alert to send the letter Senate Members on the Budget Conference Committee to:

  • Support the Assembly version of allocating $1.246 million of Federal Title III carryover funds to the California Department of Education for the development of professional development video series specific to: ELD (integrated and designated) across content areas & designing courses for the middle and high school grades that are also ELA courses that would allow EL pupils to accrue credit toward graduation.
  • Include addressing the bilingual teacher shortage in the budget trailer bill specific to the proposed Center on Teaching Careers language.

These requests are made in order to provide to teachers and school districts critically necessary resources so that EL pupils can be given quality ELD instruction and the opportunity to graduate and graduate on time!!

Call or fax:

Senator Mark Leno, Vice-Chair; State Capitol, Room 5100;

Sacto CA 95814. Capitol Office: 916-651-4011 Fax: 916-651-4911

Senator Ricardo Lara, Member; State Capitol, Room 5050;

Sacto CA 95814.Capitol Office: 916-651-4033 Fax: 916-651-4933

Senator Loni Hancock, Member; State Capitol Room 2082

Sacto CA 95814. Capitol Office: 916-651-4009 Fax: 916651-4909

For those of you who prefer to fax a letter, attached is a sample letter. PLEASE CONTACT THEM NOW!!

 

Filed Under: Action Alerts, Legislative Updates Tagged With: English Language Development, Teachers

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