Schools scramble to fill classrooms with bilingual teachers

FORT WORTH (CBSNewsTexas.com) – A record number of migrants, including families with young children, continue to arrive in the U.S., and schools are scrambling to fill classrooms with enough bilingual teachers.

A Department of Education report has found at least half of all states have a shortage of bilingual educators, with low pay and certification issues being the main reasons.

Advocates are now pushing for more federal and state funding to address the growing issue and make sure tens of thousands of migrant students don’t get left behind.

“I’ve never had as many students as I have now,” said Michelle Land, president of the New Jersey Bilingual Educators. “As a teacher of language, I know, in order for a student to learn a new language, we need to have a strong foundation in the first language.”

Some nonprofits, including ones in Dallas, are even offering financial incentives to try and attract more bilingual teachers to their cities.

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