EVERETT — Western Washington University will expand its multilingual education program to Snohomish County in the fall.
The program will hold classes at Everett Community College outside of K-12 school hours. Currently, the university has multilingual education programs in Bellingham and Renton. The Everett program is designed for employees in Snohomish and Skagit county school districts.
Graduates of the program will recieve a bachelor’s degree in multilingual elementary education, an elementary K-8 teaching certification and either an English language learners or bilingual education endorsement.
More than 25% of people in Snohomish County speak a language other than English at home, according to 2023 U.S. Census Bureau data. In the entire state, more than 140,000 students are English language learners.
“All students benefit academically from Dual Language education, and for our multilingual learners it is the best way to close the opportunity gap they face in U.S. public schools,” WWU Professor of Multilingual Education Maria Timmons Flores said in a press release Thursday. “The program recognizes the cultural, linguistic and professional assets that paraeducators bring to this work, and we anchor the curriculum in their experiences in schools.”
Edmonds, Everett, Monroe, Mukilteo and Northshore are among the school districts in Snohomish County offering dual language programs. In 2022, State Superintendent Chris Reykdal set a goal of offering all students dual language education by 2040.
“The evidence is clear,” Reykdal said at the time. “When young people become bilingual during the early grades, they have more cognitive flexibility and they perform better in school. As our global economy changes and our world becomes increasingly international, dual language education must become a core opportunity for our students.”
The university is hosting virtual information sessions at 4 p.m every Wednesday until July 23.
Jenna Peterson: 425-339-3486; jenna.peterson@heraldnet.com; X: @jennarpetersonn.
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