VOA慢速英语2019--美国双语教师供不应求

Bilingual Teachers in Short Supply Across America

About 10 percent of public school students in the United States are English language learners. In some states, that number is much higher.

In California, for example, 38 percent of students enter the public school system as English learners. Overall, about 21 percent of California public school students are considered English learners.

For years, these students had few chances to receive a bilingual education or take special classes for English learners. In 1998, California voters passed a measure that ended many programs for English language learners, in favor of English-only education. The measure was known as Proposition 227, or the “English in Public Schools” measure.

In November 2016, that measure was overturned. Today, California public schools are working to bring in and expand bilingual offerings.

However, progress has been slow. School systems across the state say they simply do not have enough qualified¹, bilingual educators to serve their students.

California is not alone in this struggle. Thirty other states and the District of Columbia report shortages of teachers in the areas of bilingual instruction and English as a Second Language.

Observers fear a continued shortage will further harm English learners’ chances for a meaningful education.

But there are national and local efforts underway to find solutions. We talk about those today.

First, we will discuss the population involved.

America’s English language learners

An estimated five million students in the country are considered English language learners, or ELLs. Such students are the fast-growing group in U.S. public schools.

Last month, the Council of Great City Schools published its latest findings on English learners. The report looked at several conditions for English learners attending public schools in 74 major U.S. cities.

In its report, the council defines English learners as between the ages of 3 and 21; whose native language is not English; and whose difficulties in reading, speaking and understanding English are enough to keep them from having success in the classroom.

The most commonly spoken languages among ELLs in America are Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Haitian Creole and Vietnamese. Speakers of those five languages make up 92 percent of all ELLs included in the council’s report.

Methods for teaching ELLs

English learners can enroll² in one of several kinds of programs, depending on where they live. There are transitional programs, in which students are mostly taught in their native language but also receive English training. And there are structured programs, which offer students almost all classroom teaching in English. These kinds of programs do not always permit students to become skilled at writing and reading in their own language, however.

There are also so-called dual³-language immersion⁴ programs. These programs offer instruction in two languages -- English and another language. Research has shown that English learners do best in dual-language programs, especially if the second language is their own mother tongue.

This is not a usual education model in America’s public schools, however. A 2017 study by the Rand corporation estimated that the US has between 1,000 and 2,000 dual language immersion programs. By comparison, the United States has over 130,000 schools serving kindergarten through 12th-grade students.

The lack of high-quality bilingual programs is clear when considering student outcomes. Nationally, about 83 percent of students complete their high school education. But the graduation rate among English learners is far lower – 65 percent.

The case in California

Before Proposition 227 passed in 1998, 30 percent of California’s 1.3 million English learners took part in bilingual programs. But in the years after, only 5 percent were able to take part in such programs. This information comes from a report released last month by Education Next.

Since the proposition was repealed⁵, schools in California have been hoping to bring back bilingual programs. A 2017 public opinion study found that 58 percent of school districts in the state had plans to add or expand bilingual programs.

However, 86 percent of those districts said the shortage of bilingual teachers was slowing those plans.

Experts and school administrators⁶ told Education Next that school systems in California are “stealing each other’s teachers.” To compete, many systems in the state now offer extra money for teachers with bilingual skills.

More districts “growing” their own teachers

School systems across the country sometimes look for bilingual educators internationally. But education experts and policy organizations say there are ways for states to find and train new teachers in their local communities.

One method involves “growing” more educators within their community. This is called “grow your own” or GYO.

New America is a policy organization based in Washington, D.C. Its Education Policy team carries out research meant to strengthen America’s educational system.

It says "grow your own" programs can both fix teacher shortages in states and increase the racial and linguistic⁷ diversity among teachers. It adds that local teacher candidates are more likely than overseas teachers to stay in the system. This saves schools money and resources over time.

This spring, New America released a list of "grow your own" guidelines for schools and states to follow. It advised states to offer a mix of ways for bilingual teacher candidates to receive necessary certifications. It also suggested training local candidates even if they do not have a college degree.

Reaching English Learners Act

Congressional lawmakers are also among those looking for ways to find and train bilingual teacher candidates.

Last year, several lawmakers introduced a bill meant to address the shortage of educators qualified to teach English learners. The bill is called the “Reaching English Language Learners Act.”

If passed, the bill would give grants to colleges and universities to support the development of the next generation of ELL educators. The grant money would go toward developing programs meant to make sure teacher candidates have the “knowledge and skills necessary” to effectively teach English learners.

Jim Langevin was among the lawmakers who proposed the bill to the House of Representatives, first in 2018 and again in February. Langevin is a Democratic Party congressman⁸ from Rhode Island. The bill has received support from Democrats⁹ and Republicans in both houses of Congress.

Langevin said the bill would provide critical resources to help English learners and their teachers.

I’m Caty Weaver¹⁰

And I'm Ashley Thompson.

Words in This Story

qualified - adj. having the necessary skill, experience, or knowledge to do a particular job or activity

bilingual - n. able to speak and understand two languages

district - n. an area or section of a country, city, or town

transitional - adj. changed from one state or condition to another

immersion - n. a method of learning a foreign language by being taught entirely¹¹ in that language

graduation - n. the act of receiving a diploma or degree from a school, college, or university : the act of graduating

diversity - n. the quality or state of having many different forms, types, ideas, etc.

grant - n. an amount of money that is given to someone by a government, a company, etc., to be used for a particular purpose (such as scientific research)

1 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

2 enroll   

v.招收；登记；入学；参军；成为会员（英)enrol

参考例句：

• I should like to enroll all my children in the swimming class.我愿意让我的孩子们都参加游泳班。
• They enroll him as a member of the club.他们吸收他为俱乐部会员。

3 dual   

adj.双的；二重的，二元的

参考例句：

• The people's Republic of China does not recognize dual nationality for any Chinese national.中华人民共和国不承认中国公民具有双重国籍。
• He has dual role as composer and conductor.他兼作曲家及指挥的双重身分。

4 immersion   

n.沉浸；专心

参考例句：

• The dirt on the bottom of the bath didn't encourage total immersion.浴缸底有污垢，不宜全身浸泡于其中。
• The wood had become swollen from prolonged immersion.因长时间浸泡，木头发胀了。

5 repealed   

撤销，废除( repeal的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The Labour Party repealed the Act. 工党废除了那项法令。
• The legislature repealed the unpopular Rent Act. 立法机关废除了不得人心的租借法案。

6 administrators   

n.管理者( administrator的名词复数 )；有管理（或行政）才能的人；（由遗嘱检验法庭指定的）遗产管理人；奉派暂管主教教区的牧师

参考例句：

• He had administrators under him but took the crucial decisions himself. 他手下有管理人员，但重要的决策仍由他自己来做。 来自辞典例句
• Administrators have their own methods of social intercourse. 办行政的人有他们的社交方式。 来自汉英文学 - 围城

7 linguistic   

adj.语言的，语言学的

参考例句：

• She is pursuing her linguistic researches.她在从事语言学的研究。
• The ability to write is a supreme test of linguistic competence.写作能力是对语言能力的最高形式的测试。

8 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

9 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

11 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。