Multilingualism is an asset, which Rhode Island law already recognizes. Our schools should, too, write two state legislators in support of a proposed scholarship fund for aspiring teachers.
By David Morales and Lammis Vargas
Our Rhode Island public schools stand at a critical crossroads. We have the fastest-growing population of multilingual learners in the country, yet we are struggling to build the educator workforce needed to serve them.
The Bilingual, Dual Language, and World Language Teachers Investment Act (H5744/S785) offers a strategic, cost-effective, and long-overdue solution: a scholarship fund to support aspiring teachers seeking Bilingual Dual Language or World Language certification. 00
Establishing such a fund would further empower multilingual community members and people of color who not only aspire to be educators, but reflect our student population. The Bilingual, Dual Language, and World Language Teachers Investment Act is not just effective policy. It’s an urgent necessity
multilingual educators is broken: This bill helps fix it. Currently, multilingual learners are more likely to live in low-income households, attend underfunded schools, and face structural barriers to success. Both of us were children of immigrants in Spanish-speaking households, so we understand the importance of representation in our classrooms.
We recognize that a sustainable pipeline of certified bilingual educators — especially from multilingual communities — is the only way we will be able to support our multilingual students and expand dual language programs. At the same time, investing in underemployed multilingual adults and those with international backgrounds is a sound economic strategy. Multilingualism is an asset, which Rhode Island law already recognizes. Our schools should, too.
Dual language programs have been shown to help close achievement gaps not only for multilingual learners, but also for other historically underserved groups. With a growing number of students classified as multilingual learners — 20 percent in Newport, nearly half of Providence’s students, and the majority in Central Falls, the need is not abstract. It is immediate and local.
Under Rhode Island’s new Multilingual Learner Regulations, dual language programs are referenced as a priority for a simple reason: they work! Research shows that Bilingual, Dual Language programs not only improve academic outcomes for English learners but also serve to benefit all students. These programs use a “team-teaching” model that reduces costs and stretches scarce bilingual teaching talent — something no ESL-only program can match.
The Bilingual, Dual Language and World Language Teachers Investment Act builds on successful models, leveraging last-dollar tuition support to make certification accessible after FAFSA. It’s a smart use of existing infrastructure and a strategic investment in the long-term health of our education system.
The time for half-measures has passed. Rhode Island students deserve access to programs that view their language skills through an asset lens and offer real pathways to success. That begins with teachers. Let’s pass this bill — and make bilingual education not just a mandate, but a movement.
