https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/recruiting-more-bilingual-teachers-the-challenges-and-solutions/2023/09

My high school boasts a significant Hispanic student population with a robust English as a Second Language program, as well as many sections of Spanish to cater to native and heritage speakers. Yet, when a colleague resigned in June, my district couldn’t find a replacement for her Spanish classes.

Administrators contacted local colleges, professional organizations, and other districts to see if they knew of a certified Spanish teacher. They found one person, but his salary was too high for my district to match. Nor is this the only case of the district having trouble hiring world language teachers. A French position at the middle school stayed vacant for six months, and the previous year, they couldn’t find a long term substitute for a French teacher on paternity leave.

My district isn’t the only one dealing with a teacher shortage, particularly in such areas as world languages, English as Second Language, and special education. Nationwide schools have found it challenging to hire teachers as fewer colllege students pursue degrees in education, veteran teachers retire, and younger teachers quit after a few years in the profession.

A recent article in Education Week discusses the challenges of recruiting and hiring more bilingual teachers. The goal is to hire more bilingual educators in schools with multilingual students, as well as create opportunities for bilingual students to become teachers, according to a new report from the Century Foundation. Also, teaching is seen as a way for these educators to follow a path into the middle class.

Yet, bilingual students face challenges in becoming teachers including the cost of teacher training and getting a credential. Students may not be able to afford college to pursue a degree in education or commit to an un-paid, full-time student teaching internship when they are already working other jobs.

The Century Foundation’s report propose the following solutions:

• Federal and state policymakers should launch new grant programs targeted at growing bilingual teacher training pipelines; and invest resources in alternative teacher certification programs, particularly those tailored specifically to the needs of bilingual teacher candidates.
• State and local policymakers should work with traditional teacher training programs to provide flexible scheduling of classes, or even offering courses online They should offer scholarships, fellowships, and other financial aid programs to cover the cost of coursework.
• Local policymakers should establish specific bilingual teacher pathways for current bilingual staff—particularly paraprofessionals.

I certainly would welcome getting more of my school’s Spanish students and paraprofessionals to consider teaching as a career. We need more multilingual students to make the leap to become educators in the future. Wouldn’t some of them think it cool to educate others who speak their native language and come from similar backgrounds?