California authorizes fewer than half the bilingual teachers it did at its mid-1990s peak, leaving it possibly unprepared for demand under Proposition 58¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2017 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person · overdue for a recheck since 2022: baselines and conditions change

Subclaims¶

q2 i? At 700 new bilingual teachers in 2015–16, California authorizes fewer than half the number authorized at the 1994–95 peak of over 1,800. → Carver-Thomas 2017 q2 i? Only 30 teacher preparation institutions offer bilingual authorization training compared to more than 80 granting secondary and elementary certifications. → Carver-Thomas 2017

Evidence¶

Carver-Thomas 2017¶

Carver-Thomas, D. & Darling-Hammond, L. (2017). Addressing California's growing teacher shortage: 2017 update. Palo Alto, CA: Learning Policy Institute. https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/ca-teacher-shortage-2017-update

q2 · i? · associational · r2

Analysis of CTC bilingual authorization data 1990–91 to 2015–16 (Figure 10) and institution program counts (Figure 9). Proposition 58, passed November 2016, removes restrictions on bilingual education, likely increasing demand for bilingual teachers; 14% of surveyed districts reported bilingual teacher shortages.

"At its peak in 1994–95, California granted over 1,800 bilingual authorizations (see Figure 10). Even after the passage of Proposition 227, California issued over 1,200 bilingual authorizations a year between 2003–04 and 2009–10. Since 2010, new bilingual authorizations have declined steadily, with fewer than 700 teachers authorized in 2015–16."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• BCLAD-authorized educators are in low supply in California and their assignments are often misaligned with bilingual program demand — related
• California school districts with similar English Learner program settings span geographic boundaries — related
• Three out of four surveyed California districts reported teacher shortages in fall 2016, and most said shortages were worsening — related
• Regional pilot found some BLA-credentialed educators opt out of bilingual roles or leave them while staying in the same school or district — related
• New California credentials stagnated at about 11,500 per year while estimated annual hires exceeded 20,000, so demand far outpaced supply — related
• California issued more than 13,000 intern credentials, permits, and waivers in 2017–18, nearly triple the 2012–13 number — related
• California lacks public data linking bilingual credential attainment to classroom assignments, creating a statewide blind spot on return on investment — related