Cal State LA will host the second annual (Re)rooting Bilingual Education Conference on Saturday, March 21, a gathering of current teacher candidates, alumni, and practicing educators committed to strengthening bilingual education across California.
Last year’s inaugural conference brought together more than 150 participants, including students from Cal State LA’s Urban Learning (ULRN), postbaccalaureate, and master’s programs, as well as alumni and local dual-language teachers and administrators. This year, organizers expect 200 participants, reflecting growing momentum around bilingual teacher preparation and the expansion of dual-language programs throughout the state.
Centered on the theme “Resistir through Healing para Sostenernos (Resist through Healing to Sustain Ourselves),” the conference creates a space for educators to reflect, heal, and sustain one another in the collective work of preparing the next generation of multilingual learners. The event features Spanish-language workshops, collaborative dialogue, and resource sharing designed to strengthen professional networks connecting the university, local schools, and the broader community.
“Preparing bilingual teachers is essential to the educational future of California,” said Verónica González, assistant professor of bilingual education at Cal State LA. “Our goal is to prepare educators who not only teach in two languages, but also understand and value the linguistic and cultural assets of the students and communities they serve.”
The conference also reflects the broader resurgence of bilingual education in California following the passage of Proposition 58 in 2016, which restored and expanded opportunities for multilingual instruction after nearly two decades of restrictive English-only policies. Since then, statewide initiatives such as Global California 2030 have called for dramatically increasing the number of students who graduate proficiently in two or more languages.
Within this statewide context, Cal State LA has experienced remarkable growth in bilingual teacher preparation. Less than a decade ago, the university granted only three bilingual authorizations in 2016 and one in 2017. Today, the program has expanded rapidly, with nearly 100 bilingual authorizations now in the pipeline, reflecting the urgent need for educators prepared to teach in dual-language bilingual education programs.
This transformation builds on a long history of community advocacy for bilingual education in the East Los Angeles region. The university sits adjacent to East Los Angeles, a community shaped by generations of Mexican and Mexican American families whose linguistic and cultural contributions have long influenced local schools. The 1968 East LA student walkouts, in which Chicano students demanded bilingual education and culturally relevant schooling, helped catalyze broader educational reforms and continue to inspire bilingual education efforts today.
Cal State LA’s bilingual teacher preparation program traces its roots to Project Maestro, a federally funded initiative launched in 1970 following the passage of the Bilingual Education Act. The project sought to recruit and prepare bilingual teachers to serve Spanish-speaking communities throughout Los Angeles.
Today’s program extends that legacy while adapting to contemporary educational needs. Faculty members have engaged in sustained collaborative learning through a Faculty Inquiry Group (FIG) grounded in racial and linguistic justice. Through this process, the bilingual teacher preparation program has expanded coursework in Spanish and Mandarin, strengthened partnerships with local schools, and increased the number of bilingual faculty members and supervisors supporting teacher candidates.
The (Re)rooting Bilingual Education Conference serves as a community-centered extension of this work, bringing together educators to reflect on the future of bilingual education. By creating spaces for dialogue, healing, and collective learning, the conference highlights the role of bilingual educators not only as classroom practitioners but also as advocates for language justice and culturally sustaining education.
As California continues to expand dual-language programs, the need for bilingual teachers remains urgent. Cal State LA’s growing program and the annual conference represent an effort to ensure that bilingual teacher preparation remains rooted in community knowledge, linguistic diversity, and educational equity across California’s schools.
For more information, please contact Professor González in the College of Education at vgonza150@calstatela.edu or 323-343-4359.
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California State University, Los Angeles is the premier comprehensive public university in the heart of Los Angeles. Cal State LA is ranked number one in the United States for the upward mobility of its students. Cal State LA is dedicated to engagement, service, and the public good, offering nationally recognized programs in science, the arts, business, criminal justice, engineering, nursing, education, and the humanities. Founded in 1947, the University serves more than 22,000 students and has more than 260,000 distinguished alumni.
