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A History of Bilingual Education in Massachusetts

Despite the growing need for bilingual education, it wasn鈥檛 until 2017 that Governor Charlie Baker overturned the 15-year law that banned it from most public schools. 鈥� Now, the state mandates that core academic teachers who instruct in a language other than English must be properly qualified and hold the Bilingual Education Endorsement. For schools with large dual language populations, that means that even teachers responsible only for instruction in English must still hold the endorsement. 鈥�

In response, Boston College鈥攍ed by Proctor, one of very few researchers who studies the intersection of bilingualism and literacy鈥攍aunched the Bilingual Education Certificate program.

鈥淭he program is really meant to combat the 鈥楨nglish-only mentality鈥� that has pervaded the state for most of the century,鈥� Proctor asserts.

First gaining a foothold in Lynn and Salem public school districts after launch in summer 2019, the program has since grown to serve six districts across the Commonwealth, including three of Massachusetts鈥� largest districts: Boston, Worcester, and Springfield. The partnerships are mutually beneficial鈥攕chools can鈥檛 run dual language programs without endorsed teachers. That鈥檚 where Boston College comes in.听

鈥淭he program has a strong Jesuit ethos in its approach. It focuses on giving back and supporting educators comprehensively to ensure their job security while they make a significant impact on students from multilingual backgrounds,鈥� says Ashana Hurd, assistant dean of urban outreach and professional development at the Lynch School. 鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to find ways to make this information accessible and affordable for the teachers who need it.鈥�