RICHLAND, Wash. – The College of Education at Washington State University Tri-Cities received funding in the form of a $3.1 million grant for a new multilingual educator project.
Certifying and Advancing Multilingual Teachers by Increasing Numbers Through Three Grow-Your-Own Strands (CAMINOS) funds preservice teachers pursuing signature preparation pathways at WSU. The goal is to increase the number of multilingual educators in the Tri-Cities.
CAMINOS is fully funded by the U.S. Department of Education Office of English Language Acquisition’s National Professional Development program. It follows the recent initiative from the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to give all Washington students access to dual language programs.
“The body of work supported by this grant aligns with the college’s mission to expand access to higher education and prepare the next generation of educational leaders ready to interact with and support multiple levels and types of diversity in our classrooms,” said Dean of the College of Education Karen Thomas-Brown.
The three pathways include:
Alternative Route: Allows current paraeducators in partner school districts (Kennewick, Pasco, Prosser, Richland and more) to get credit for prior learning and work experiences and earn a bachelor’s degree in education while being a paraeducator.Teaching Bridge: Mentors incoming education students and puts them in paid substitute paraeducator roles in local school districts.Dual Language Pathway Certificate: Available to WSU students statewide through online delivery from Tri-Cities and prepares students in teacher preparation courses in other languages to help them qualify for a Bilingual Education endorsement.
CAMINOS will cover fees and full tuition for two cohorts of Alternative Route and Teaching Bridge students at WSU Tri-Cities along with summer tuition for four cohorts of eligible Dual Language Pathway Certificate students in the state.
