As cities and states become more diverse, the number of jobs in bilingual education is steadily increasing. For example, research shows that there were only around 18,000 ESL/bilingual teachers in elementary and secondary schools, but there were 51,000 in 2012, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Below introduces some of the most common jobs in bilingual education at different academic levels and settings.
ESL Teacher
ESL teachers work in a variety of academic organizations. They create positive and structured learning environment to ensure that students progressively grow and embrace core learning values. They use ESL assessment data to refine curriculums, reform instructional practices and design activities that meet academic standards. They may work as independent ESL teachers or they may be members of in-house bilingual education programs. They are accountable for their students’ mastery of ESL content, objectives and language standards. They focus on improving student learning needs, critical thinking skills and overall performance. They participate in collaborative subject-area and grade-level meetings. They conduct student intake, placement and progress assessments. They attend or host ESL focused awareness meetings for school leaders and teachers.
Bilingual Education Specialist
Bilingual education specialists collaborate with teachers to design and implement professional development workshops that raise awareness of bilingual students’ needs and limitations. They facilitate learning experiences based on current academic research and development scopes. They strive to cultivate communities of students, teachers and parents who embrace diversity and bilingualism. They help teachers diagnose current learning gaps and needs through self-reflection surveys and assessment tests. They provide detailed and insightful coaching to teachers on bilingual friendly curriculum, instructional and classroom management techniques. They facilitate small group sessions that model effective teaching and learning experience examples. Bilingual education specialists help teachers incorporate effective methods for coaching and professional development. They develop systems of knowledge management to share content with parents and the public.
Bilingual Literature Professor
Bilingual literature professors teach graduate and undergraduate level classes in various topics. They may teach bilingual classes on world literature topics, such as Asian or South American authors. They participate in the refinement and development of the bilingual literature activities and programs. They often encourage students to engage in outreach and external community programs. For example, they may encourage students to participate in Spanish-speaking art and literature events. They advise students regarding exams, scholarly activities, dissertation committees and department activities. They may also conduct active scholarly research and publishing on biliteracy, bilingual education and academic language policies. For instance, they may conduct formal academic research on cultural and linguistic variations between Spanish and English literature.
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Finally, bilingual reading teachers usually work in busy urban high school teaching courses in reading literacy and education. They use scholarly research to devise lessons and curricula to help bilingual students master English reading skills. They usually have a master’s degree in bilingual reading and literacy education. They will need demonstrated experience with teaching effectiveness, using scholarly research and working with culturally diverse students in public schools. The jobs in bilingual education also include kindergarten, elementary and middle school teachers.
