Addressing the Bilingual Teacher Shortage

This brief is the second of a four-part series that focuses on bilingual education, bilingual educators, and addressing the bilingual teacher shortage in contexts across the United States. This research was commissioned by the New Jersey State Department of Education, which is committed to providing quality bilingual education to its linguistically diverse student population. Many specialized subject areas face shortages of teachers who can fill positions, and bilingual education is no exception. More than half of states nationwide are experiencing bilingual teacher shortages, and the states with the most acute shortages are those that provide bilingual education to the greatest numbers of English learners. In this brief, we share strategies that can help mitigate bilingual teacher shortages and provide considerations for state and district leaders who are interested in addressing these shortages.