Brockton Schools Awarded $150 Gateway City Grant As Bilingual Hub

BROCKTON, MA — A $150,000 Gateway City Grant will help Brockton Public Schools prepare teachers to lead dual language immersion and transitional bilingual education programs. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education recently awarded the grant to BPS ad its partners at Bridgewater State University.

Beginning on Jan. 20, BSU will offer four grant-funded courses to Brockton teachers who are pursuing the endorsement.

"We are thrilled to partner with the leading bilingual department in the state to launch our new bilingual certificate program," said Emily Spitzman, Coordinator of the Bilingual Education Certificate program at Bridgewater State University. "Our multilingual faculty are getting ready for the start of classes, eager to teach and learn from the multilingual learners who will be joining
their classes in a couple short weeks."

Brockton educates 4,244 students — 26 percent of district enrollment — who are English language learners. Forty-one percent of Brockton students learned English as a second language. Director of Bilingual Education at Brockton Public Schools Kellie Jones said Brockton was the first school in the state to establish a bilingual education program in 1973.

"We believe the multilingualism of our student population is an asset to learning and we've expanded our transitional bilingual education and dual language education programs to reflect that," Jones said. "We're fortunate to have a strong partner in Bridgewater State University to help align professional development with the future needs of our increasingly diverse classrooms."