Shortage of Bilingual Elementary Teachers

• In Event: Research In Progress Roundtable Session 5
  In Invited Roundtable: Bilingual Education: Perspectives on Biliteracy, Teacher Practices, and Student Experiences (Table 11)

Abstract

The Bilingual Authorization/Bilingual Cross-Cultural Language and Academic Development (BiAu/BCLAD) credential is a requirement to teach students in a dual language immersion (DLI) program where another language and English are used in instruction. There has been an increase in Spanish dual immersion programs, creating a shortage of Spanish bilingual teachers. The DLI students demonstrate higher results in various academic areas than non-DLI students. The shortage of Spanish bilingual teachers prompted this study to research the factors that hinder students from enrolling in the BiAu/BCLAD credential program. The participants included credentialed students and teachers. Results from the survey showed limited support for the hypotheses, but the interviews and open-ended survey questions provided themes of the BiAu/BCLAD program.

Author

• Susie Prado, California State University - Fullerton