Preparing Educators for Multilingual Learners: A Strengths‐Based Educator Preparation Framework

ABSTRACT While the number of multilingual learners in U.S. K‐12 schools continues to increase, there is a persistent shortage of educators prepared to work with these learners and their families. To address the teacher shortage and enhance the readiness of all educators working with multilingual learners, it is critical that teacher education programs cultivate strong partnerships to leverage individual and community assets for educator recruitment and support. Building upon strengths‐based theories to support educator professional growth, we have worked with more than 250 preservice and inservice educators from over 40 counties in North Carolina through multiple National Professional Development projects. In this article, we describe the conceptual framework undergirding the educator recruitment and support efforts and detail the evolvement of the teacher education program over the last 10 years to expand access for educators from diverse backgrounds. Specific strategies based on the asset‐based perspectives, research‐practice partnership approach, and hybrid space engagement in teacher education are detailed. Building upon partnerships with educational agencies and experiences engaging with educators from diverse backgrounds, lessons learned for educator preparation are provided.