Quality bilingual education programs are essential
Algebra is hard enough to learn in English. But when a ninth-grade teacher in the Hudson Valley recently tried to explain X’s and Y’s to newly arrived students from Latin America, he had to use a translation app. That did not compute.
In Lower Manhattan, an elementary school had to annex space in a church due to the influx of migrant students. But it wasn’t able to hire another bilingual Spanish teacher. Instead, it put up handwritten signs in Spanish throughout the buildings.
Meanwhile, in Buffalo, the public school system is considering closing programs due to the lack of qualified bilingual staff.
We often think of the socalled “migrant crisis” in terms of housing, providing legal services, or the fast-tracking of work permits. But the dearth of qualified bilingual teachers to work with newly arrived students is just as problematic for our already overburdened, under-resourced schools.
The state Education Department has acknowledged these shortages by making the certification requirements for bilingual educators more flexible. New York City has done the same. That’s a positive first step, incentivizing candidates from an existing pool of teachers. However, it also means some educators are coming to classrooms without having completed all the required college coursework for bilingual teaching.
We need to attract future bilingual teachers to our university programs – especially at the undergraduate level – and make more programs accessible to candidates throughout the state.
At the end of 2023, the New York State Association for Bilingual Education conducted a survey of its 504 members, who comprise public school educators, administrators, parents and support staff. Seventy-one percent of the responders said that the shortage of bilingual teachers was the biggest challenge their schools faced in serving new arrivals. Then we asked: What contributed to the dearth of certified bilingual teachers? By far, the biggest reason was the cost and lack of bilingual certification programs at the undergraduate level — especially outside of New York City.
Aspiring educators of immigrant origin are often bilingual, but they may not even
know such programs exist, or they may not have the financial resources to enroll. For undocumented students, it’s even harder to become bilingual teachers. They are not eligible to work in public schools after their student teacher training because they do not have a work authorization. The state Education Department should develop pathways for their employment, and at the very least make services available to explore potential legal remedies to adjust their status.
Earning additional certification means taking more classes and more exams for an “extension.” In the past, teachers were reluctant to apply for this because they could lose their tenure while going on a different track.
In New York City, that changed this past fall, when the school district offered incentives like immediate tenure and extra pay to bring in more bilingual educators. The state should encourage other districts to find ways to incentivize pursuing certification.
The pressures on young newcomers to the United States are already overwhelming. Bilingual educators can help ease their transition. And quality bilingual education programs are essential so that students don’t fall behind.
We have to look at the future – not just for these students and their families, but for New York state. We are preparing a multilingual workforce to compete in the global economy. We can only do that if we have enough teachers who understand their students’ challenges as well as their words.