CBS Chicago – Staff Writer
“Those who are bilingual and considering a teaching career may also want to consider working on a special education certification at the same time. Qualified bilingual teachers can be a challenge for school districts to find, but hiring a bilingual teacher with a special education background is like trying to locate a needle in a haystack. For those teachers who hold the degree and certifications to be a bilingual special education teacher, they will very likely have no difficulty in getting hired for a teaching position in today’s job market. The number of limited English students in Chicago has surged and will continue to soar. Chicago Public Schools reports their student enrollment as 396,683 (2014-2015 20th day enrollment) and of this number, 16.7 percent are English-language learners. Considering the special education component and the number of students who may also need to receive special education services, it becomes quite apparent the need for highly qualified bilingual teachers with a special education background.”(more)