Navigating Complexity: The Roles of Bilingual Teacher Educators as Policy Agents in University Teacher Preparation Programs

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Friday 7:45 am
  In Poster Session: Innovating Curricular Designs for Bilingual Teacher Education in the US: Programs, Policies and Partnerships

Abstract

Objectives. This study explores how bilingual teacher educators (BTEs) across the United States navigate diverse and often fragmented policy landscapes in the preparation of future Dual Language Bilingual Education (DLBE) teachers. Responding to growing national interest in expanding DLBE programs alongside inconsistent state-level policies, we pose the following question: How do BTEs navigate and respond to diverse policy environments in preparing bilingual teacher candidates?
Theoretical Framing. To address this question, we conceptualize BTEs as critical policy actors and institutional intermediaries, theoretically grounded within the framework of Critical Multilingual Policy Ecology (Authors, 2023). This perspective considers the multiple levels—national, state, institutional, and local—through which BTEs mediate DLBE implementation, licensure requirements, and teacher preparation standards.
Methods. We designed and administered the National BTE Survey, a 55-item instrument combining closed- and open-ended questions, to document institutional practices, external supports, and university-district partnerships. Using a convergent mixed-methods design, we analyzed quantitative data through descriptive statistics and qualitative responses via thematic analysis.
Data Sources. Data were collected from 30 BTEs across 12 states, representing a diverse range of faculty roles and program contexts. The survey addressed not only program structures but also BTEs’ perceptions of candidate readiness, DEI alignment, and institutional support.
Findings. The study’s findings highlight BTEs' multifaceted roles as bilingual pedagogues, mentors, policy advocates, and liaisons across institutions and school districts. While many respondents reported strong alignment with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) principles and advocacy-focused teacher preparation, challenges emerged in preparation areas such as classroom management, language proficiency assessment, and uneven access to resources like grants, mentorship programs, and guaranteed job placements. BTEs frequently reported institutional barriers—such as low enrollment, insufficient funding, and misalignment with district ideologies—as constraints to advancing DLBE teacher preparation. However, despite these challenges, BTEs across several states described local innovations: developing Grow Your Own (GYO) programs, bilingual residencies, and alternative certification pathways through strategic partnerships with districts and county offices. These efforts have not only increased the number of linguistically and culturally diverse teachers but also strengthened community-school-university collaboration.
Significance. This study contributes to the limited but growing body of research on bilingual teacher educators by providing empirical data and conceptual framing for understanding their roles as policy agents within multilingual ecosystems. In doing so, it addresses both the promise and precarity of current DLBE teacher preparation. We argue that advancing sustainable, equity-oriented DLBE programs requires intentional support for BTEs, including institutional investment, structural policy alignment, and long-term university-district partnerships and co-planning. The study’s findings also offer implications for policymakers, bilingual teacher educators, and DLBE scholars committed to transforming bilingual teacher preparation amid increasingly complex and politicized language education contexts.

Authors

• Magaly Lavadenz, Loyola Marymount University

• Jongyeon Joy Ee, Loyola Marymount University

• Elvira G. Armas, Loyola Marymount University