Cal Poly’s School of Education is combating teacher challenges in the classroom thanks to two new federal grants from the Department of Education.
The grants, totaling around $8 million, aim to combat shortages and equip prospective and current teachers with more preparation and resources to face the changing educational landscape.
“I think any time you have the resources behind, something more is going to get done,” said Cal Poly Associate Professor Jess Jensen.
The first grant of $3.34 million will support bilingual educators in local schools. Cal Poly’s Bilingual Responsive Instruction for Language Learners and New Teachers/Educators project, or BRILLANTE, looks to recruit and support 80 undergraduate bilingual scholars and train 135 bilingual educators.
“We're here to fill a need to make sure that there are adequate and sufficient bilingual education teachers who can serve the students and their families," said Cal Poly Associate Professor Tina Cheuk.
The need for a bilingual teaching certification can be found right in Cal Poly’s backyard. Pacheco Elementary School in San Luis Obispo is one of the two dual language schools in the San Luis Coastal School District, and for principal Marcelo Huizar, the need for qualified bilingual teachers is high.
“There's always been a need for that type of candidate here at Pacheco," Huizar explained. "But in our area, within our district, I know that they've also seen an increase in the number of English language learners. We have seen an increase in the number of newcomers that come to our district.”
The second grant, worth $4.68 million will go toward Cal Poly's Innovative Support and Preparation of Inclusive and Resilient Educators program, or INSPIRE, which aims to support roughly 1,350 prospective or current teachers through various training and credential resources.
“Everyone in the building, in a school building, needs to know how to support all of the students," Jensen said. "We can't just learn to aim for the middle, the average student."
More specifically, the grant will help bridge the gap for teachers to be able to teach kids in special education and kids in general education classes together.
“I think the goal is always to have as inclusive of an environment as possible while it still being a beneficial environment for the students," Jensen added.
According to the non-partisan research, development, and service agency WestED, about one in 10 of all teaching positions across the U.S. are unfilled or filled by individuals without certifications, meaning there’s still work to be done but the hope is that locally, these grants will help bring more qualified candidates into classrooms.
“I would say the two grants are transformative," Cheuk stated. "I think for once, everyone in our unit, our whole team is all hands on deck to ensure that our partners have the teachers they need that will stay in the profession and be successful.”
The five-year grants will include partnerships with local school districts, community colleges like Allan Hancock and Cuesta as well as local educational leadership.
