Third of six parts

Each year the Dallas Independent School District experiences a chronic shortage of bilingual education teachers. This school year will be no exception. “With more than 1,000 school districts in Texas, we’re lucky to get even a handful,” says Evangelina Cortez, assistant superintendent in charge of the Multilingual Education Department.

That number certainly sounds too low, but how big is the shortage? As the 1998-99 school year commences, the Dallas schools have 700 certified bilingual education teachers. Yet, according to Ms. Cortez, they need 580 more. The pressure on Dallas school administrators to meet the needs of 58,000 students with limited English skills is intense.

But that’s only half the story. Dallas school district officials claim that up to half of all Dallas students may be non-English-fluent by 2003. If that’s true, it is possible that ignoring the bilingual education teacher shortage now could turn the current crisis into an unmitigated disaster.

After California banned bilingual education in June, it was hoped that many teachers there would leap at the chance to find work in Dallas. But that hope has proved illusory. Bilingual education teachers are also certified to teach mainstream courses, so California will continue to need their services-if only to meet the needs of an enrollment that is growing across the board.

The Dallas attempts to recruit teachers in the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or in foreign countries, also have been discouraging. When bilingual education teachers fromPuerto Rico were recruited for the Dallas schools a few years ago, it became evident that the district had ill served them and the students when the teachers could not pass the teacher certification examination after arriving in Dallas.

The recruitment of Mexican professionalsresiding in Dallas, first suggested by formerMexican Consul General Ramon Xilotl, could help. But if they and other professionals encounter difficulties in overcoming the teacher certification hurdle, their role could be limited. True, certification requirements could be waived. But how would that be consistent with the widespread demand for meaningful standards?

Ultimately, the answer to the teaching shortage lies in the state’s teaching colleges and universities. They must survey the academic scene in school districts across the state, and recognize that there is a market for qualified bilingual education teachers. As Gov. George Bush notes, in Texas the debate should not be over whether to end bilingual education, but over what kind of bilingual education best serves the needs of students who aren’t fluent in English.

In truth, the Dallas schools’ recent decision to emphasize bilingual education in the early grades, while exalting the main goal of a rapid transition to English, should go far in proving the district’s good faith.

Of course, practical inducements also should play a role. In a two-tiered bonus system, an initial bonus would be awarded to those qualified bilingual education teachers who sign up to teach in the Dallas schools. But an additional bonus should be extended to those teachers who actually deliver the goods by teaching English fluency in a shorter period.

The size of the challenge as reflected in the number of students needing special language assistance is huge and growing. In contrast, the number of teachers qualified to help is relatively small and shrinking. The Dallas schools’ current attempt to increase the number of certified bilingual education teachers from preschool through second grade is an excellent strategy. A failure to innovate now only ensures that the Dallas schools’ students who aren’t fluent in English will be cast further adrift.



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