Resisting Practice to Impact Policy: A Case for Moving Toward an ESL/Bilingual Teacher Education Initiative

While it is nationally recognized that there is a high need for teachers, particularly those of diverse backgrounds and with ESL/bilingual certifications, barriers to certification continue to exist for undocumented individuals. Within the state of New Jersey, these barriers mirror the national limitations. Although New Jersey has made efforts to address citizenship and reform policies, some barriers persist, hindering these candidates from making a positive impact on students' lives through a teaching career. This policy piece aims to shed light on the barriers to teacher certification faced by undocumented individuals and outlines measures taken by the Rutgers University-Newark (RU-N) Department of Urban Education to address these challenges.