Advising the State of Florida

How It Might Legitimately Expand Its ESOL Teacher Pool

The State of Florida is under a court order concerning its services to LEP students. It requires that in order to become an ESOL teacher, it is necessary to: (a) complete five courses [Applied Linguistics, Cross-Cultural Understanding, ESOL Curriculum & Materials, Methods of Teaching ESOL, and Testing & Evaluation]; (b) be certified and take a 300-hour in-service program that is designed to cover the same five courses; or (c) receive a degree from an accredited institution in ESOL.

The five-course sequence and degree requirements do not produce very many teachers, though the number has greatly expanded since the decree was entered. The 300 hours in-service has been met with hostility by teachers, and as a result has not met expectations.

As the attorney representing the state, I am asking you for your thoughts about how we might improve the decree requirements. I also would like several additional initiatives that I can take to the plaintiffs to try to convince them to amend the decree. These additional initiatives should: (a) provide assurances that the teachers will have the skills needed to successfully teach ESOL; (b) produce a significant number of teachers reasonably soon, as there is currently a gap between supply and demand.

I will need a brief summary of the pros and cons of each idea so that I can be prepared for tough negotiating.

Resources List: Under Construction

This problem was created by Peter Roos, Last Updated Feb. 11, 2003.