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Sixth International Conference on Immersion and Dual Language Education: Connecting Research and Practice Across Contexts

del 20 al 22 de October del 2016

Hyatt Regency Hotel, Minneapolis, MN, USA

The Double-Edged Sword of Growth in Dual Immersion Programs: Addressing the Shortage of Biliterate/Bicultural Teachers

sábado, el 22 de octubre de 2016 a las 10:00–11:00 CDT
Greenway Ballroom I
Session Type

Paper/Best Practice Session (1 hour)

Immersion/Partner Language(s)

not language specific

Context/program model
One-Way Second/Foreign Language Immersion
Two-Way Bilingual Immersion
One-Way Developmental Bilingual Education
Level
Pre-K
Elementary (K-5)
Middle School/Junior High
High School
Post-Secondary
Program Summary

Come learn the characteristics of a highly qualified biliterate/bicultural teacher, and join the discussion on how teacher education programs can increase the recruitment and development of highly qualified biliterate/bicultural teachers, both pre-service and in-service, to address the current shortage of teachers for dual immersion programs. 

Abstract/Description for Paper, Discussion, and Laptop Poster presentations

Research attests to the academic benefit for all students enrolled in dual immersion programs over time (Collier and Thomas, 2004; Ramirez, 1991; Thomas and Collier, 2002), and how this contributes to the closing of the achievement gap for students who most typically underperform in English-only educational programs. Research also identifies the cognitive benefits from developing high levels of literacy in English and a second language (Adesope, Lavin, Thompson, & Ungerleider, 2010; Bialystok, Craik, Klein, & Viswanathan, 2004; Kempert, Saalbach, & Hardy, 2011).

Across the US, the number of dual immersion programs is rising exponentially, as districts and sites seek to develop programs that will lead to their students achieving to higher levels academically and acquiring high levels of biliteracy to best prepare them for college and career in the 21st century. With the rise in the number of programs comes an increased demand for teachers to staff the programs. With research showing that student achievement is linked to teacher quality (Borman & Kimball, 2005; Darling-Hammond, 2000), highly qualified biliterate/bicultural teachers play a critical role in reaching thegoal of replicating the research results both academically and linguistically.   

With the rising number of dual immersion programs and the demand for highly qualified bilterate/bicultural teachers, a teacher shortage has emerged, triggering three critical questions:

  1. What are the characteristics of a highly qualified biliterate/bicultural teacher?
  2. How can teacher education programs structure their programs to support the development of these characteristics in their candidates?
  3. How can teacher education programs increase the recruitment and development of highly qualified biliterate/bicultural teachers, both pre-service and in-service, to address the current shortage? 

Lead Presenter/organizer

Kris Nicholls, California Association for Bilingual Education
Role/Title

Director, Professional Development Services

State (in US) or Country

CA

Co-Presenters

Fernando Rodriguez-Valls, California State University, Fullerton
Role/Title

Associate Professor

State (in US) or Country

CA

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