Diversity pipeline addresses representation, teacher shortages
OKLAHOMA CITY PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS ALEXISS LÓPEZ (LEFT) AND LINDA LÓPEZ (RIGHT) WERE TWO OF THE FIRST GRADUATES OF THE DISTRICT’S BILINGUAL TEACHER PIPELINE PROGRAM.
BY ERIN PAGE . PHOTOS BY KYLIE KALLSEN.
their jobs and benefits and they lacked the financial resources to go to college,” said Mary Mélon, president and CEO of the Oklahoma City Public Schools Foundation. “So we said, ‘How about we cover that for you?’” The Bilingual Pipeline Program was launched in 2016, with five participating bilingual paraprofessionals, including both Linda and Alexiss. The program has grown to 61 participants, with six graduating so far. More recently, the foundation launched a Diversity Teacher Pipeline Program to cultivate more teachers of color who don’t have to be bilingual. OKCPS leaders say research clearly shows that white and non-white students perform better in school when they have the opportunity to learn from teachers of color. The pipeline programs are not a short-term fix but rather focus on improving representation and diversity in the district to benefit students, teachers, families and the community for decades to come. Participants continue with full-time employment at OKCPS and attend college part-time, paid for by the foundation. Some already have college credits or an associate’s degrees, while others have no college experience. The foundation, along with district administrators and liaisons at local community colleges and the University of Central Oklahoma, work with each individual to plan a path for success. That includes not only covering all expenses but also serving as a sort of case worker to provide help if a participant’s car breaks down, has a sick child or needs to rearrange work schedules to accommodate for classes. “They are not highly paid individuals and they are sacrificing a lot to get through college; they need the emotional support,” said Mélon. “This gives them a chance at a different life. One of our graduates was able to buy her first home when she became a teacher. We know teachers aren’t paid what they are worth, but the socioeconomic increase they get going from paraprofessional to teacher is life changing.”
When the López family moved from Mexico to Oklahoma, Linda López’s son struggled more than her other children to learn English. Linda and daughter Alexiss worked diligently with him, and, realizing they could use their talents and passion to help other bilingual students, they both became paraprofessionals for Oklahoma City Public Schools. “We know the struggle,” said Linda. “When you see a student walk into a classroom and they are just lost, whether they are new to the country or school, I just feel for them, being in a classroom where no one understands them.” When Linda was in her seventh year at OKCPS, representatives from the Oklahoma City Public Schools Foundation, the district and Linda’s principal approached her with a radical idea — to help pilot a program that would pay all expenses for her to earn a college degree and become a certified teacher. “We were working with students in the district already, and this was our opportunity to better our education and help bilingual students,” said Linda. The Bilingual Teacher Pipeline Program addresses one of the district’s greatest needs: a shortage of bilingual teachers amidst a growing Hispanic student population, now at 56 percent. OKCPS has 16,500 bilingual students, with 13,000 English language learners. District and foundation leaders began to dream about how to better support bilingual students by also galvanizing the bilingual paraprofessionals already employed by the district. “We asked what would keep them from becoming teachers, and the overwhelming response was that they would need to be able to keep
40 METROFAMILYMAGAZINE.COM / JAN-FEB 2022
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