To address the statewide shortage of K-12 credentialed teachers who teach Asian languages, Cal State Fullerton’s College of Education will lead the California State University Asian Language Bilingual Teacher Education Program Consortium.
The consortium received $5 million from the California Legislature to increase the number of educators with bilingual authorization in Vietnamese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Japanese, Hmong, Tagalog and Khmer (Cambodian).
Teacher candidates interested in earning a credential and bilingual authorization in Asian languages are eligible for $20,000 scholarships. Current teachers can receive either a $2,200 scholarship or enroll in the required courses for free.
Natalie Tran, professor of educational leadership and secondary education at Cal State Fullerton, is leading this statewide effort and is an advocate for providing instruction in both English and an Asian language in California schools and beyond.
Tran said: “This funding benefits CSU bilingual authorization teacher candidates, faculty and school districts across the state. The consortium plays a critical role in addressing the growing demands for Asian dual-language immersion programs and teacher shortages in Orange County and California as a whole.
“In CSUF’s bilingual authorization program, about 20 students complete the Asian language authorization each year. We expect this number to grow with an increasing number of school districts offering Asian language dual-language immersion programs in the region and across the state.”
Read more about Tran and her work with the National Resource Center for Asian Languages. Information on the California State University Asian Language Bilingual Teacher Education Program Consortium can be found here.