Recruiting ESL Teachers Overseas
Troy School District will send two administrators to Spain next month to recruit two bilingual teachers to teach its growing number of students who speak Spanish as a first language.
“We were not able to find a certified teacher. We had a couple of failed attempts,” said Don White, superintendent of Troy School District.
The need is huge. The number of ELL students is on the rise and there is a shortage of people who can teach them.
In one year, the state saw an increase of 26,000 ELL students. In 2006, there were 166,000 ELL students compared to 192,000 ELL students in 2007, said Robin Lisboa, division administrator for ELL for the state board of education.
The state board estimates that in the next three years 1,226 bilingual teachers will be needed statewide.
