BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Students at Lafayette International High School on Buffalo's West Side speak approximately 30 different languages, but multilingual learners in New York State face educational disparities. A teacher training pipeline program aims to help.
Assemblymember Jon Rivera (D) says $250,000 in this year's state budget will bolster a bilingual teacher training program at Buffalo State. The aim is to prepare educators with the linguistic and cultural skills necessary to support New York's growing population of multilingual learners.
"We know, given the nature of our region, it's ever-growing, it's becoming more and more diverse every day," Rivera said. "We believe we will certify so many more bilingual educators and ideally stay here in New York, ideally right here in Western New York."
Multilingual learners now make up around 21% of students within Buffalo Public Schools. Overall, multilingual learners have lower graduation rates than average, and educational experts believe a lack of bilingual teachers is one of the reasons why.
WATCH: New York State invests $250K to build bilingual teacher pipeline in Western New York
But an untapped pool already exists — people like Ingrid Lorenzo, who assists teachers to bridge the language gap in the classroom in her work as a Bilingual Paraprofessional.
"We would love to become bilingual teachers, but we need the support to make that happen," Lorenzo explained.
With so many languages being spoken by students at Lafayette International High School, Rivera outlines the ecosystem he hopes the program will create.
"A family comes to Western New York, their children come to this school. Their children want to pursue higher education, they're benefactors of this program, and they themselves become bilingual teachers," Rivera said.
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