The Latin@ Teacher Shortage: Learning from the Past to Inform the Future

This policy brief explores trends in U.S. K-12 Hispanic student enrollment vs. the Hispanic teacher workforce as a way to call attention to the bilingual teacher shortage. Successful examples of past efforts to increase the number of Latino and bilingual teachers are reviewed and the following policy recommendations are made: 1) expand investment in grow your own initiatives that recruit students in middle and high school students and emerging educational paraprofessionals into the bilingual teacher pipeline; 2) establish regional teacher preparation and professional learning centers and consortia; 3) offer financial supports; and 4) enhance university-based credentialing routes, internship and residency programs.

The Licensing of Paraprofessionals: The “Visible and Hidden Agendas”

The issues involved in licensing educational paraprofessionals are, in most instances, parallel to licensing issues in almost any occupation. The arguments of those who endorse occupational licensing reveal two sets of agendas. The first, which is typically made quite explicit, focuses on the alleged need to assure the public that the practitioner-members of an occupation are capable of maintaining the high standards of performance contemplated in well and conscientiously conceived licensing requirements.