Creating Education That Works: Building Bilingual Teacher Competencies.

Overview & Synopsis

In 1992, the National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE) published standards that can be used as guidelines for preparation of bilingual multicultural teachers. A survey of 22 beginning bilingual education teachers, graduates of Texas bilingual teacher education programs, examined their preservice preparation in relation to NABE standards. One-third to one-half of respondents: (1) had not had a college teacher who spoke Spanish; (2) had not been taught an education course in Spanish; (3) had not received adequate training in philosophy, theory, history, and legal issues related to bilingual education; (4) had not received training in state requirements and guidelines for bilingual education; (5) did not understand the nature of bilingualism; (6) did not know how to assess student proficiency in Spanish and English; and (7) had received no training or inadequate training in bilingual teaching methods, Hispanic culture, multicultural issues, or classroom management. As their language-minority population grows, Texas school districts can expect a continued shortage of bilingual teachers. Fewer minorities are passing the entry requirements of teacher education programs, which limits the number of candidates for bilingual education certification. Of those completing bilingual programs, not all possess the competencies needed in the bilingual classroom, increasing the need for inservice staff development. This article contains survey questions and responses and the NABE standards. (SV)