This article documents a collaborative effort between university teacher educators and an urban school district in Wisconsin to address acute teacher shortages in bilingual education. The effort took shape as a Grow-Your-Own program based on the teacher residency model. Several innovations were required in program design and implementation to…

As a bilingual teacher in Milwaukee Public Schools, this author has seen many students deal with deportation. In this article, she shares a story of Elena, whose father was deported, that casts light on a growing crisis. She is using Elena as an example because this is "not" a unique story. It has many similarities to the experiences of…

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction proposes to eliminate "stand-alone" teacher certification in bilingual education (BE) or English as a second language (ESL), creating an ESL/BE license to be added to an elementary or secondary license. The proposal promotes ESL/BE licensure of subject area teachers but ignores foreign…

Information on the Hmong (Mong) people living in Wisconsin, their educational background, the reasons they came to the United States, and the problems they are facing is provided. The Hmong are a closely knit ethnic group from Laos who migrated there from China in the 18th century. The Hmong began arriving in the United States in the late 1970s as…

A detailed program description and evaluation are contained in the final report of a demonstration project designed to prepare certified teachers of limited English speaking ability students for bilingual bicultural education programs. The introductory section summarizes the purpose of the program, which offered traineeships to individuals…