PSU Magazine Winter 2000

E nrique Abad wants to become a teacher to help kids like the bright 18-year-old who has just arrived from Mex ico-and was placed in ninth– grade because he doesn't know English. "That hurts, because he's behind two or three years already," Abad says. "Students like that may turn 21 and maybe will not graduate. l'm trying to help them." Abad, 38, a native of Ecuador, is one of 160 students enrolled in PSU's Bilingual Teacher Pathway (BTP) program, launched in fall 1999. The program coordinates with Oregon community colleges and 20 school districts to recruit and certify bilingual educational assistants to become licensed teachers at the early child– hood, elementary, or secondary school levels. Most would never have the opportunity to become teachers with– out the BTP program. I n helping students uch as Abad to become teachers, the five-year, $ 1. 2 million grant aims to serve a burgeon– ing immigrant population of foreign– language-speaking children in Oregon's public schools. The BTP program is recognition that our region is becoming linguistica lly and cultur– ally diverse. PSU's Center fo r Population Research predicts that the Hispanic- bilin ual advan age Knowing two languages, two cultures is earning these classroom assistants a chance at a teaching career. Article by Cliff Collins Photos by Steve Dipaola Latino population will triple in 20 years, and the Asian-Pacific Islander population will double. Immigrant from Russia, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East also are mov ing here in increasing numbers. "If you want to talk about rea l need," says the BTP program director, Dannelle Stevens, "the numbers are incredible." ln 1987 Oregon counted 5,500 students in English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, which was 2 percent of the state's population . By 1997 the count was up to 6 percent of the population . It took another sizable increase the fo llowing year. "One school had a 53 percent increase in one year," she says. Enrique Abad works academically and on the soccerfield with English-as-a– second-language students in Beaverton high schools. WINTER 2000 PSU MAGAZINE 15