EL Educator Recruitment, Preparation and Professional Development

Teachers of English learners must be adequately equipped to instruct learners who need to master English while also meeting the same academic content achievement standards all students must meet. To prepare this workforce, educator preparation and professional development must include a focus on working with ELs and strategies for adapting instruction in service of ELs. Research is clear that ELs perform best in settings that support their home languages—states and districts are also investing in preparing more bilingual educators through a variety of pathways. These resources offer a look at locally developed programs that aim to better prepare teachers to meet the needs of EL students and their families. Read more

Amaya Garcia, Roxanne Garza, October 28th, 2019

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is in the midst of a teacher shortage crisis. At the same time, the district is looking for ways to increase the racial and linguistic diversity of the educator workforce. A new bilingual teacher residency program is attempting to help close these gaps and ease current shortages by recruiting from within and tapping paraeducators who show promise and interest in becoming licensed teachers. This paper explores how CPS designed and implemented the program in partnership with National Louis University and the National Center for Teacher Residencies.

Kaylan Connally, Amaya Garcia, Shayna Cook, and Conor P. Williams, January 12, 2017

Multilingual paraprofessionals represent an untapped pool of potential teacher talent. Approximately one in five paraprofessionals speaks a language other than English at home. Furthermore, paraprofessionals often have the linguistic and cultural competence schools need and significant experience instructing and supporting students. Yet, they often face significant bureaucratic, linguistic and financial barriers to entering the teaching profession. This paper highlights these barriers using data from focus groups conducted with multilingual paraprofessionals in five cities.

Amaya Garcia, September 20, 2017

Highline Public Schools has set an ambitious goal: for every student to graduate bilingual and biliterate. To help accomplish this goal, the district is investing in developing bilingual teachers from within. This report explores the district's partnership with Western Washington University to recruit and prepare bilingual paraeducators to become teachers.

Professional Development for Teachers of English Learners: The Internationals Approach

March 2, 2020

This video explores the professional development and instructional model utilized by the Internationals Network for Public Schools to prepare teachers to work with newcomer, refugee and recently arrived immigrant students.

A Model for Bilingual Teaching – Sobrato Early Academic Language (SEAL)

June 11, 2019

This video highlights the Sobrato Early Academic Language (SEAL) model of professional development, with a focus on how teachers can support bilingualism.

How Educators in Fresno Are Working Together to Support Young, Dual Language Learners

January 30, 2017

This video showcases how the Fresno Language Project is adapting national models of best practices to improve outcomes for young dual language learners across their community.