Welcome to the official site of the Expanding Bi/Multilingual Teacher Pathways in Georgia through Kennesaw State University’s TESOL Programs. Our project is dedicated to addressing the critical shortage of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teachers across Georgia. We aim to recruit, support, and retain a diverse group of bilingual and multilingual teacher candidates (BTCs), particularly from underrepresented communities.

Over the next five years (Fall 2024- Summer 2029), our project will provide comprehensive professional development through TESOL pathways that lead to licensure, certification, and career advancement. We are committed to fostering an inclusive, multilingual environment for students and teachers alike, ensuring that educators are equipped to meet the needs of Georgia’s growing English Learner (EL)/Multilingual Learner (ML) population.

This project is funded through the U.S. Department of Education’s National Professional Development (NPD) Program, administered by the Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA). (total funding amount for five years: $2,539,387)

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Kennesaw State receives $2.5 million U.S. Department of Education grant to boost bilingual and multilingual educator workforce

KENNESAW, Ga. | Oct 2, 2024

The fact Georgia has the eighth highest number of multilingual students in the country has led three Kennesaw State University researchers to work toward increasing the number of teachers who speak two or more languages.

Kennesaw State’s Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) program in the Bagwell College of Education was awarded more than $2.5 million over the next five years by the U.S. Department of Education to assist in the recruitment and retention efforts of bilingual and multilingual teachers in Georgia.

There are 1.06 million Georgians whose primary language is something other than English, according to the U.S. Census. The most commonly spoken languages besides English are Spanish, followed by languages spoken in Asia and Pacific Island nations.

Jayoung Choi (Principal Investigator, PI), professor of TESOL in KSU’s Bagwell College of Education, Tuba Angay-Crowder (Co-PI), Project Manager, and Espinosa (Co-PI), clinical assistant professor of TESOL, are heading a program set to tackle a growing shortage of English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teachers. The three researchers are multilinguals with an immigrant background, instilling in them the importance of their current work.

Click here to read the full article.