In January 2003, SMU will begin a bilingual education graduate program. The program was made possible by two grants awarded to SMU under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The grants, $1.5 million each, are two of 130 awarded in 2002.

“The purpose of this grant is to create a partnership between DISD and SMU to produce 150 bilingual teachers over the five-year period,” said Robert Patterson, dean of education and lifelong learning at SMU.

The first grant is for scholarships for teachers in the Dallas Independent School District to participate in the program and receive certification in bilingual education.

The second grant provides scholarship money for teachers seeking certification in bilingual education with a focus on talented and gifted children.

The program will be designed to meet the needs of DISD’s Spanish-speaking students. It will also increase the proficiency of teachers who are not quite fluent in Spanish.

Bill Pulte, director of SMU’s teacher certification programs in bilingual education, estimates that Dallas lacks about 1,800 bilingual teachers, while Texas lacks 8,000 total.

Jim Bradshaw, an official from the press office at the U.S. Department of Education, agrees that there are too few bilingual teachers in the nation.

Part of the problem, Bradshaw says, is the definition, or lack thereof, of “bilingual education.” If a teacher is fluent in a second language, or proficient in teaching English as a second language that does not necessarily qualify them as a bilingual educator.

Pulte encourages SMU students who are bilingual and seeking a career in teaching to apply for the program.

Students must have completed their certification and student teaching before applying. Members of the program receive 15 credit hours toward a graduate degree in bilingual education. For application information contact (214) 768-2184 or email [email protected]. The application deadline is Nov. 8.