Five years ago, the California Department of Education set a goal that half of K-12 students would be literate in at least two languages by 2030, and three-fourths by 2040, to be achieved by recruiting and training more teachers to teach bilingual classes, enrolling more students in dual immersion classes and encouraging more students to become literate in more than one language. It’s not that much of a stretch given that about 40% of the state’s students already speak another language at home.
The Global California Initiative 2030 recognizes that preparing students for a global economy is essential, but the state has lagged in its efforts to build the ranks of bilingual teachers needed to reach the goal. The number of new teachers authorized to teach bilingual classes who are hired annually has increased each year, growing from 716 in the 2012-13 school year to 1,188 in 2020-21. However, that number decreased to 1,116 the following year. The global initiative sets a goal of hiring 2,000 new teachers in 2040.
Nonprofit education research organizations, such as the Learning Institute and the California Budget & Policy Center, have warned about the worsening bilingual teacher shortage in the last few years.
