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From https://www.languagemagazine.com/2017/10/can-paraprofessionals-help-solve-bilingual-teacher-shortage/

Can Paraprofessionals Help Solve the Bilingual Teacher Shortage?
by Kaylan Connally, Amaya Garcia, Shayna Cook and Conor P. Williams
October 9, 2017

Paraprofessionals are twice as likely to speak a language other than English at home than their teacher counterparts, and many bring instructional knowledge and clear, accessible pathways for gaining teacher certification in the U.S. but often face many hurdles along the way. Multilingual paraprofessionals represent a largely untapped pool of potential teacher talent—largely because policies have made it difficult for them to advance to lead teacher. Some research already exists on multilingual paraprofessionals and the barriers that they encounter when applying to teach.

This article is excerpted from the report Teacher Talent Untapped: Multilingual Paraprofessionals Speak about the Barriers to Entering the Profession, published by New America. Access the January 2017 report at https://www.newamerica.org/education-policy/policy-papers/teacher-talent-untapped/