Recruiting, Mentoring, Inducting, and Retaining Bilingual Teachers of Color: A Bilingual Paraeducator's Journey

• In Event: Partnering With Purpose: Collaborating to Recruit, Induct, Mentor, and Retain Bilingual Teachers

Abstract

In one northwestern state, there continues to be a shortage of teachers who reflect the demographics of students (Podolsky, Kini, Bishop, & Darling-Hammond, 2016; X, 2019). Even when hired, minority teachers depart schools at a significantly higher rate than white teachers (Ingersoll, Merrill, and Stuckly, 2014). One urban school district, with students who speak more than 100 languages in their homes, has partnered with a regional state university and the state’s professional educator standards board to address this district’s specific goals to increase bilingual teachers of color. The result has been an increasing percentage of bilingual teacher recruited, comprehensively prepared, inducted and mentored into this district.

The purpose of this paper is to identify strategies for supporting and retaining future teachers of color in Grow Your Own (GYO), alternative preparation programs. This case study of effective practices and stakeholder partnerships will highlight best practices to support the expansion of the bilingual teacher workforce.

This research is based on the perspective that bilingual paraeducators have untapped potential to bring language rich instructional skills and cultural perspectives to the teaching of students (Connally, Garcia, Cook, Williams, 2017). Mentoring and induction for new teachers helps to ensure well-trained teachers stay in the classroom (Podolsky, Kini, Bishop, & Darling-Hammond, 2016). This work is grounded in the constructivist theory that learners create knowledge and understanding from diverse sources appropriate to the problem at hand. GYO partnerships create opportunities for recruiting, training, and retaining teachers that reflect the students they teach and who stay in the field.

This is a qualitative case study that draws on interviews with a bilingual teacher who participated in a GYO program and a GYO program facilitator/mentor who coordinated support among stakeholders. This study also reviews quantitative retention data and first-year perceptions.

Data sources include: 1) interviews, notes, and artifacts from bilingual paraeducators and teachers who participated in a GYO program; 2) interviews with a GYO stakeholders; 3) written reflections and feedback from mentors teachers and teacher candidates over the course of the GYO program, 4) survey data comparing GYO first-year experiences to other first-year teachers 5) early career teacher retention data.


GYO certification programs can be structured to build on the strengths and experiences that bilingual paraeducators bring to the profession. Collaboration and equal partnerships between stakeholders can effectively mitigate barriers to teacher certification and retention by creating responsive support systems.

This paper uses the perspectives of a bilingual paraeducator entering the teaching force and a program facilitator to identify effective GYO strategies for supporting and retaining teachers of color. Collaborative practices between key stakeholders are examined and linked to policy and practices for GYO programs.

Authors

• Richard Dunn, Western Washington University

• Gami Diaz Lizama, Highline Public Schools