Oregon’s U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley voice support for a new federal grant received by Portland State University (PSU) College of Education to recruit and prepare bilingual and bicultural special education teachers.
PSU’s College of Education will receive $3 million over five years to build on work from a previous partnership with Tigard Tualatin School District, which currently has 22 percent English Learner (EL) students. The grant from the Department of Education Office of English Language Acquisition is earmarked for a project known as DICE PLUSS: Diverse Inclusive Collaborative Educators. Education Northwest is the program evaluator.
“This federal investment earned by PSU to work with the Tigard-Tualatin School District will help to build the stronger teacher workforce that special education students whose first language isn’t English need to thrive,” Senator Wyden said. “That’s a winning partnership for both education and equity in the metro area.”
Dr. Julie Esparza Brown has spent the past 21 years of her career at Portland State University’s College of Education. In that time she has written or co-written grants that have allowed for 21 years of funding for bilingual/bicultural teachers in general and special education. DICE PLUSS was co-written with her colleagues and co-directors for Project DICE, Drs. Sheldon Loman and Amanda Sanford, who are associate professors in the school’s Special Education Department.
“When teachers mirror the cultural and linguistic background of the students, their academic performance and outcomes increase,” says Esparza Brown. In contrast, Oregon has only added 919 teachers of color to its teaching cadre over the last ten years according to the Oregon Equity Teacher Report (2020). Special education, which is facing a national teacher shortage, is even more at risk. “There are very few bilingual Special Educators locally and nationally,” she says. “We are really working to add to the diversity in the special education teaching cadre.”
PSU will partner with the Tigard-Tualatin School District specifically to continue investigating literacy instruction and interventions for multilingual learners. This work began through a model demonstration grant (Project LEE) funded by the Office of Special Education Programs. Project LEE was one of three model demonstration projects funded nationally to focus on literacy for multilingual learners.
“Biliteracy is a core strategy for the Tigard-Tualatin School District (TTSD), offering instruction that leverages the linguistic, cultural, and social assets our students bring to class,” said TTSD Superintendent Dr. Sue Rieke-Smith. “Our TTSD staff and students have benefited from collaborating with Dr. Esparza-Brown and Portland State University on prior grant initiatives. We are thrilled to partner again with a focus on culturally and linguistically responsive practices for multilingual students. We are enthusiastic partners in this new research opportunity.”
Recruitment for DICE PLUSS special education teacher candidates is open to candidates from any school district and those not currently employed but who wish to become a special education teacher with specialized preparation to work with multilingual learners with disabilities and their families.
“Children in special education programs should have equal opportunity to learn and grow as students—regardless of whether or not English is their first language,” said Senator Merkley. “I am pleased to support PSU’s initiative to increase the number bilingual special education professionals in our schools and help address cultural obstacles many students face in the classroom. This is a critical step in removing educational barriers and ensuring our children are given the best education possible.”
In addition to recruiting and preparing diverse teachers for licensure in special education and the work in literacy, the grant will fund family literacy/biliteracy workshops. This project is funded entirely with federal funds, currently with an authorized budget of $599,771.00. The remaining funds will be authorized to PSU, on an annual basis, contingent upon available funds and the success of the project to date.