California Runs Short of Accredited Asian-language Teachers: Asian American Students Pay the Price

Was Live Monday, June 6, 2022

Guest Speakers:

• CA Senator Dr. Richard Pan (Senate Dist. 6), Chair of the Senate Select Committee on AAPI Affairs and the API Legislative Caucus
• CA Senator Tom Umberg (Senate Dist. 34)
• Prof. Fernando Rodríguez-Valls, Program Coordinator, CSU Fullerton College of Education Bilingual Authorization
• Victoria “Nikki” Dominguez, LA Policy Director, Asian Americans Advancing Justice

Our News Report from this Media Briefing

Shortage of Asian-language teachers in California

Vietnamese and Mandarin were the second and third most spoken languages in California K-12 schools in the 2019-2020 school year. Yet only four teachers were accredited to teach Vietnamese and 58 to teach Mandarin. The acute shortage of accredited Asian-language teachers in California significantly limits Asian language speaking students’ education options. Advocates call for a one-time funding package of $5 million to address the shortage.

Presented by Ethnic Media Service and
Asian Americans Advancing Justice-CA