SANTILLANA USA - CAL Practitioner Brief

5 What strategies do dual language program leaders use to recruit and retain appropriately qualified staff in the face of the bilingual teacher shortage? Given the long list of knowledge and skills required of effective dual language teachers, program lead- ers often cite a shortage of qualified staff as a ma- jor challenge for program success (Kennedy, 2013). A targeted teacher recruiting plan is recommended to address this challenge (Howard et al., in press). Schools and districts report utilizing a variety of creative recruiting strategies, including these: • Engaging in partnerships with local colleges and universities to create a pipeline of dual lan- guage teacher talent • Tapping into local non-educator talent through implementation of “grow-your-own” teacher preparation programs or alternative routes to teacher certification • Implementing future teacher talent develop- ment programs that (a) encourage current bi- lingual high school students to explore teach- ing opportunities through high school course work, (b) support these students as they seek a college teaching degree, and (c) recruit them back to serve in district dual language class- rooms upon successful university graduation • Providing incentives—including annual sti- pends, hiring bonuses, or non-financial perks such as opportunities for conference travel— to prospective teacher candidates to lure them in geographic areas where competition for teacher talent among programs is fierce • Participating in recruiting fairs at regional and national conferences • Partnering with international organizations and agencies to recruit certified teachers from other countries to serve in U.S. schools • Conducting independent international searches (Kennedy, 2013) When recruiting teachers internationally, pro- gram leaders need to plan and account for additional challenges, including payment of legal fees for visas and other requirements associated with the immi- gration process; provision of orientation guidance for newly arrived international teachers to assist in the transition to life in the United States; accelerat- ed professional development opportunities to en- activities that develop skills in cross-cultural com- petence. This daunting task requires a specialized educator skill set that goes beyond what general ed- ucation teachers and teachers of English learners in monolingual English settings need to know and be able to do (Achugar & Pessoa, 2009; Guerre- ro & Guerrero, 2009; Menken & Antunez, 2001; Soto, 1991). Yet teacher preparation curricula in the majority of university programs today focus on general education pedagogical practices or, at best, on practices designed to meet the needs of English learners in settings in which English is the language of instruction, with a focus on sheltered English techniques (Echevarría, Vogt, & Short, 2010) and culturally responsive pedagogy (Gay, 2010). While such training is helpful, it does not sufficiently pre- pare aspiring dual language teachers to effectively serve in dual language settings. Therefore, it often falls on the schools to provide targeted professional development to build up and enhance capacity of their dual language teaching staff. Findings from research studies, most of which looked specifically at programs using Span- ish as the partner language, indicate that profes- sional development for dual language teachers needs to target the following: • Development of academic language proficien- cy in the partner language (Guerrero & Guer- rero, 2009) • Understanding of linguistics and second lan- guage acquisition theory (Menken & Antunez, 2001) • Knowledge of the cultures associated with the partner language (Walton & Carlson, 1995) • Diversity awareness and skills in culturally re- sponsive teaching (Gay, 2010; Walton & Carl- son, 1995), including adoption of a non-deficit attitude toward bilinguals and bilingualism (Achugar & Pessoa, 2009; Soto, 1991) • Effective multicultural parent communication and education strategies (Soto, 1991) • Specially designed delivery of content in En- glish, such as sheltered instruction techniques (Echevarría et al., 2010) These recommendations for bilingual teacher preparation provide a solid foundation for design- ing an effective professional development plan for dual language educators.