Staff Development Specialists for Bilingual and Bicultural Education Programs: A Training Program.

Overview & Synopsis

A three-year training program for bilingual/bicultural program staff development specialists is described. The program, which involves the cooperation of a higher education and six local education agencies (LEAs), seeks to train staff development specialists who can function in two languages, sensitive to the problems and advantages of limited-English-proficient (LEP) students, have strong background in bilingual and bicultural education, and are committed to quality education and social change. In particular, efforts to institutionalize the program are examined, based on eight indicators of institutionalization: active support of administrators; positive attitudes of non-bilingual education faculty; faculty support through institutional funds; bilingual faculty tenure and promotion; program continuation without federal funds; involvement of several professionals in program operations; compatibility with institutional priorities; and sufficiently high enrollment levels to sustain the program. Theoretical constructs used in the training, curriculum design and content, practicum, participant perceptions of the program, and benefits to the organizational participants are reviewed. Contains 35 references. (MSE)