Preparing Educators for Bilingual Education: Needs and a Response.

Overview & Synopsis

Support for bilingual education continues to grow nationwide. Increased support for the concept of using English with the non-English mother tongue (NEMT) resulted from several factors. The total population of NEMT children in the U.S. grew to 5 million in 1973, while the number of Spanish-speaking children rose to 3.2 million in 1970. The Northeast, particularly New York City, has a heavy concentration of Spanish-speaking children. The Bilingual Education Act, the Fleishmann Commission Report and New York and California studies all acknowledge the numbers of NEMT children, their educational problems and the failure of the educational system to serve their needs. It is agreed that bilingual education will strengthen the child's educational progress, enhance his self-concept and aid reading in both languages. Several studies show that bilingual education is effective; however, there is now an acute shortage of bilingual teachers. The State University of New York at Albany has a successful Master's program for bilingual education administrators and coordinators who could train other bilingual teachers. The program features a strong bilingual staff, a helpful advisory group, access to all SUNY resources and field experience in bilingual schools. (CHK)