What is Bilingual Education?
For the Texas Teaching Fellows program, Bilingual Education specifically refers to a Spanish-English bilingual classroom. Any applicant who is interested in the Bilingual Education certification will have to demonstrate fluency in Spanish during the interview process. These candidates will be given a Bilingual Assessment during the interview event to determine eligibility for the Bilingual Education subject area. Please note that not all TTF sites certify Fellows in Bilingual Education.
The fundamental definition of Bilingual Education is the use of two languages as the mean of instruction in part or all of an instructional program. Officially bilingual education was federally supported through “The Bilingual Education Act of 1968”, and the combined Supreme Court “Lau v. Nichols” decision of 1974. These legislations mandated educational equity through support for students with limited English proficiency by requiring instruction in their native languages. (The general objectives of Bilingual Education are: to equally facilitate language and academic development in two languages, English and the student’s native language; to acknowledge the native language of the students; to foster a positive self-concept/image; and to aid students’ understanding of other cultures. ) Research studies consistently demonstrate that minority children’s cognitive/academic development and socio-psychological development are enhanced by maintaining and further developing their first languag
