What can be done to ease the shortage of bilingual teachers in California classrooms?
Experts in bilingual education will gather at Loyola Marymount University on Friday, Sept. 21, for the Deans’ Leadership Summit to discuss how universities can help fill the gap by improving and expanding teacher certification programs and engaging in policy discussions at the state level.
Hosted by LMU’s Center for Equity for English Learners and the nonprofit Sobrato Family Foundation, the summit will bring together the leaders of colleges and schools of education from across California. They will explore opportunities to bolster bilingual-teacher education pipelines in light of two new state-level policies: the 2017 English Learner Roadmap, which provides guidance for school districts on how to welcome, understand, and educate English learners; and the 2016 voter-approved Proposition 58, which authorizes districts to establish dual-language immersion programs.
Presenters include CEEL Executive Director Magaly Lavadenz, distinguished professor of English learner policy, research and practice; CEEL Director Elvira Armas; LMU School of Education Interim Dean Mary McCullough; and Laurie Olsen, director of the Sobrato Early Academic Language initiative for the Sobrato Family Foundation, which aims to help teachers address the needs of English learner students.
The foundation is committed to sustaining the philanthropic legacy of the Sobrato family, which seeks to empower low-income, underserved, and at-risk populations that are experiencing language, economic and other barriers to opportunity.
The Deans’ Leadership Summit runs from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
