Culturally-Responsive Teacher Preparation for Emergent Bilingual Learners

• In Event: Transforming Latinx Teacher Preparation: Key Design Elements of a Fully Scaled HSI Teacher Residency Program

Abstract

Across the country, more than 5.3 million students PK-12 students are identified as English Learners (Migration Policy Institute, 2024). In Texas, where this program is based, one in four PK-12 learners is identified as emergent bilingual (IDRA, 2021). It is well-documented that there are persistent gaps in teacher preparation related to serving and supporting emergent bilingual learners (López & Santibañez, 2018), who represent the fastest growing demographic both in Texas and across the country (Park et al, 2018). In order for teachers to engage students in content and language learning, teachers must have the skills to interpret and use language development and assessment data to make instructional decisions (Gottleib, 2016; Solano-Flores & Soltero-González, 2011). While it is widely acknowledged that this specialized training should start in teacher preparation (Lucas & Villegas, 2013), there is inconsistency in how programs prepare candidates with much-needed skills and practices in the areas of language development and assessment (Samson & Collins, 2012).

This paper will highlight the holistic programmatic efforts of one HSI-based EPP to strengthen the preparation of teachers for emergent bilingual learners. With funding from the U.S. Department of Education, the teacher preparation program implemented multi-tier exam supports for bilingual and ESL candidates in the program as well as a co-curricular professional learning sequence, called the Language Institute, which was designed to prepare candidates for the identification and assessment of emergent bilingual learners across content areas. The goal of the language institute is to “prepare all new teachers for teaching in linguistically diverse classrooms” (Fatis & Valdéz, 2016, p. 552).

This paper will focus on the impact of these holistic support measures on candidates’ perceptions of preparedness to serve emergent bilingual learners and their readiness to serve emergent bilingual learners as indicated by achievement of supplemental bilingual/ESL certification. Data sources are two-fold: evaluation questionnaires of teacher candidates following the fully-scaled Language Institute in 2023-2024 (n=104) and interviews with resident graduates (n=14) who participated in the Language Institute.

In their responses on the evaluation questionnaires (2023-2024), undergraduate and post-bac participants viewed the content as increasing their interest in meeting the needs of their emergent bilinguals (average 4.57 of 5) and saw the professional learning content as important to their education and career (4.65 of 5). In results of open responses, participants identified instructional strategies – including translanguaging and cooperative grouping – as the most important takeaway from the Language Institute, with 41 mentions across all questionnaires. The second most-mentioned takeaway was the English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS), mentioned by 14 participants.

These findings help contribute to the growing knowledge base on the preparation of teachers for linguistically diverse classrooms (Villegas et al., 2018), with the ultimate goal of impacting practice and the learning experiences and trajectories of PK-12 emergent bilingual learners.

Authors

• Patricia L. Ocana, University of Texas - El Paso

• Anaeva Rodriguez, University of Texas - El Paso

• Jennifer Stefania Herrera Lozano, University of Texas - El Paso