Professional Development Increases as Bilingual Education Grows

From around 200 programs in 2000 to more than 2,000 programs today in 35 states, dual language programs are rapidly increasing across the country, says an article about professional development increases as bilingual education grows.

This is for good reason, it says. Studies about dual language programs indicate so many advantages for students. For instance, program participants are known to have higher academic achievement in certain subjects and are less likely to drop out. In addition, kids who learn two languages have increased cognitive function, not to mention are often more globally competent.

These days, many states are starting to formally acknowledge kids for being bilingual and/or biliterate with a seal of biliteracy on their high school diploma upon graduation. In thirty-seven states and Washington, D.C., dual language programs in more than 20 languages have been implemented and demand is increasing.

The article “New Dual Master’s Degree Program to Increase Number of Bilingual Education Teachers” says the demand for bilingual teachers is growing, too. In November 2016, California approved Proposition 58 and is reintroducing bilingual education courses to the public school system after they were prohibited more than twenty years ago. One professor in the article said that as metropolitan areas around the world diversify and expand are the reasons why dual language and bilingual education model are now so popular.

This also reflects the US educational model as well. For instance, one teacher quoted in the National Education Association (NEA) Advocacy Guide says there are now 134 different languages spoken at her school and these seven are spoken in her classroom alone: Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Nepalese, Hindi, Haitian, and Creole.

As bilingual education grows in this country, it’s only natural that professional development has become a highly necessary component of this growth. Its importance is stressed even more when the NEA points out that an ELL’s cultural heritage, country of origin and circumstances are so diverse, the need for an in-depth understanding of the context in which students are operating is critical.

Professional development organizations like The Latino Family Literacy Project has trained thousands of teachers and staff for successful implementation of its various literacy programs, which are a perfect fit for meeting the needs of parents and school staff for Parent Engagement.

School staff need to be trained only once to implement any of the age-specific programs, which include a step-by-step method and cultural competency overview for working with Spanish-speaking parents. Teachers can attend the half-day program training at a workshop near them or via an online webinar. For more information, please contact The Latino Family Literacy Project. For bilingual books in Spanish and English, visit Lectura Books.