Seventh International Conference on Immersion and Dual Language Education

Strand V: Teachers, Administrators, Preparation and Professional Learning

Not language specific

All

Hiring DLI-qualified teachers is no easy feat. As Collier and Thomas (2017) point out, “the greatest current challenge for dual-language schools is finding qualified bilingual personnel” (p. 13). To address this issue, the Georgia Professional Standards Commission convened a task force of Foreign Language, Bilingual Education, and Elementary Education professionals to draft the state’s first DLI teaching credential. Once the Georgia DLI teaching credential was created, the presenters, faculty at Georgia State University, developed and received approval for the state’s first DLI endorsement program. The resulting program consists of five courses, including a field-based course. In this session, after providing a brief overview of their experience collaborating to develop and implement the new DLI teaching endorsement, the presenters will invite audience members to share their own successes and challenges in developing and implementing DLI teacher preparation programs in their contexts.