The demand for bilingual education in the United States continues to grow. Even though the country has become more linguistically and culturally diverse due to demographic changes and the evolving conditions in the U.S. marketplace, more than half of the states are facing a bilingual teacher shortage which poses potential issues with the future of work.

Growing Demand for Languages Other than English

As revealed by a survey conducted for the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), entitled “Making Languages Our Business: Addressing Foreign Language Demand Among U.S. Employers,” the demand today in this country for foreign language skills is greater than ever before. According to the report, the foreign languages with the highest demand among U.S. employers— Spanish and Chinese—are the ones with the greatest shortages, and the most difficult to recruit. In addition, the findings revealed that despite the essential role of foreign languages in the U.S. workplace, the nation’s commitment to language education is “conspicuously lagging.”

The Need to Prioritize Language Education

Among the suggested solutions offered by the ACTFL study is that U.S. policymakers prioritize language education and recognize the essential role that foreign language education plays in today’s globalized economy. Some of the recommendations for the education sector include partnering with colleges and universities with foreign language and study abroad programs, offering job opportunities for qualified students and recent graduates, and funding of early language-learning programs. Furthermore, it is imperative to implement practical and locally driven strategies to help reduce the foreign language skill gaps. There are different bilingual programs for English learners available in school systems such as transitional bilingual education and dual-language programs, but the support of qualified bilingual educators to provide the services is in short supply.

“Finding bilingual educators has been a long-standing problem for school districts across the country,” (Mitchell). Data state that among the reasons for this increasingly common challenge are the lack of training programs or resources to support them, low teacher salaries, and a lack of incentives to become a bilingual teacher. Working conditions with these types of barriers can discourage bilingual educators from entering or staying in the profession.

The demand for bilingual educators exists and will inevitably increase as the United States becomes more and more diverse. Awareness of the shortage of language teachers can give bilingual professionals some leverage when looking for employment in education. “About 10 percent of public-school students in the United States are English language learners. In some states, that number is much higher,” (Thompson). To better serve this group of students and mitigate the negative impact of the lack of bilingual teachers throughout their learning development, states and school districts need to create a plan of action. Different states and school systems are taking steps to find alternatives that benefit this group of students that is continuously growing. Some are taking unconventional measures. In New York, for example, one of the approaches has been to turn to sourcing bilingual teachers from the Caribbean. “The city is now pursuing partnerships with the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico to grow the ranks of bilingual staff,” (Jorgensen).

Certify Your Language Skills

If you are a bilingual or multilingual professional who would like to join the education sector and help thousands of students accelerate their language learning journey, contact Language Testing International (LTI) to certify your language proficiency in reading, speaking, writing, and/or listening. As the exclusive licensee of ACTFL, LTI offers official certifications in over 120 languages and provides remotely proctored assessments for extra convenience. You can review our reliable language assessment options at www.languagetesting.com.

Sources:

American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) and the Lead with Languages Campaign commissioned Ipsos Public Affairs, with the support of Pearson LLC and Language Testing International. (2019). “Making Languages Our Business: Addressing Foreign Language Demand Among U.S. Employers.” https://www.leadwithlanguages.org/report

Jorgensen, Jillian. “City says it’s ramping up bilingual hiring – and some students fill the gaps”. Spectrum News NY1. Published 5:34 pm, Oct.18, 2022. https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/education/2022/10/18/city-says-it-s-ramping-up-bilingual-hiring-

Mitchell Corey. “The Invisible Burden Some Bilingual Teachers face”. EducationWeek. February 07, 2020. https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/the-invisible-burden-some-bilingual-teachers-face/2020/02#:~:text=The%20bilingual%20teacher%20shortage%20is%20an%20

Thompson, Ashley. “Bilingual Teachers in Short Supply Across America”. VOA News. Learning English. May 07, 2019. https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/bilingual-teachers-in-short-supply-across-america/4907669.html

University of Portsmouth. “Students lacking language skills will miss out on jobs – new report.” January 23, 2023. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/977513

 

 

Madeline Martínez is a Multicultural Navigator Specialist at URBANDER, a Woman and Minority Business Enterprise (WMBE) specializing in transforming businesses to advance humanity. URBANDER’s role is to serve as an extension of Marketing, Diversity, Human Resources, Procurement, Community Relations, and Social Responsibility teams, providing innovative approaches in the areas of strategic marketing, content development, workforce development, community outreach and IDEAS (inclusion, diversity, equity, accessibility, and sustainability). Madeline holds a both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Communications from the University of Puerto Rico and is an experienced copywriter and content developer dedicated to amplifying the voices of URBANDER’s clients. From blogs and articles to social media posts and interviews, Madeline is a skilled writer across diverse topics integrating her marketing, business and academic acumen. Though her earlier work as a Publications Officer at the Inter American University in Puerto Rico, and her most recent performance as a Spanish Interpreter, Substitute Teacher, and Instructional Assistant for English-language learning elementary school students, Madeline has impacted countless families as they have navigated migrating to the U.S. from Spanish-speaking countries. As a bilingual professional, Madeline is also proficient in translating written documents from English to Spanish, and vice versa. She has received LTI issued ACTFL Language Proficiency Certificates in Spanish as follows: Advanced Writing, Advanced Listening, Advanced Reading and Superior Speaking. During her downtime, Madeline loves spending time with her family, and enjoys dancing, movies, photography, and coffee. She considers herself a continuous learner. “A well-educated mind will always have more questions than answers”- Helen Keller

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