As Oklahoma City Public Schools continues to look for ways to increase its number of bilingual teachers, especially as the district experiences rapid growth among Hispanic students, The Foundation is proud to announce the launch of a new program that will assist in that effort.

“To address the district’s shortage of bilingual teachers, we have launched the Bilingual Teacher Pipeline Project, which will provide financial assistance and support for the more than 130 bilingual paraprofessionals already working for OKCPS,” said Foundation President Mary Mélon. “An overwhelming majority of this group are interested in becoming certified teachers, and through this program will be provided with upward mobility for themselves and their families, while addressing key needs for our schools and students.”

The first group of bilingual paraprofessionals have been identified and are ready to begin college in the spring of 2016. In addition to training future bilingual teachers, this program is bringing life-changing education to members of the OKCPS community.

“This grow our own program has the potential to be a game changer for our schools and is life changing for the participants,” Mélon added.

This program has been made possible by the support of partners like the University of Central Oklahoma, Oklahoma City Community College and Oklahoma State University-OKC.

Continue to look for updates in the months to come.