Bilingual Reading Partnerships

About

Bilingual educators are highly qualified to instruct learners in bilingual or dual language programs. These individuals, though, often do not have ample opportunity to practice their literacy instruction skills during their teacher preparation programs to meet the needs of emerging bilingual readers and writers.

In response to this need, NLU’s Reading Teacher and Reading Specialist program has partnered with multiple districts to host cohorts specifically for bilingual educators. Course instructors—either bilingual themselves or familiar with engaging dual language learners—modify curriculum, communication, and support structures to become responsive to the specific needs and experiences of these program candidates. The Summer Practicum, a five-week intensive experience where candidates tutor two PK-12 learners, puts learning into action, oftentimes with students from their own schools. 

Regarding the success of these partnerships, long-time NLU Reading faculty and Practicum Director, Dr. Mary Hoch, shares, “We’re thrilled to have co-developed this opportunity with forward-thinking districts to support their bilingual educators and learners. We hope to continue to build out this pathway for more districts in need as the population of dual and multiple language learners in Illinois continues to grow.”

Learn More

Contact Outreach Director Wendy Gaeding at wgaeding@nl.edu to learn more about how NLU’s Reading Teacher or Specialist program can support the teaching and learning goals of bilingual educators, either on an individual or district basis.

“Our teachers' knowledge of research based instructional practices and assessments in the area of literacy for multilingual students has grown exponentially [...], and the number of tools and strategies at their disposal to help striving readers has multiplied. We are already seeing the impact on our student data and are confident this program is helping us to position our learners for a bright and literate future.”

-Renee Urbanski, CCSD15 Assistant Superintendent of Multilingual Programs