Data compiled by the National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition show that in 2007-2008, Colorado had a sizable student population that qualified as ELLs, at over 82,000 students. However, the rate of growth in Colorado’s immigrant population had decreased from prior years, and was far lower than that of many other states in the country, showing only a 37 percent increase over the preceding decade. The primary home language of non-English speakers is Spanish, followed by Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean, and Tagalog.
Career Outlook for Colorado ESL Educators
Colorado is one of the few states in the country that did not have ESL and Bilingual Education designated as Teacher Shortage Areas by the Department of Education during the 2012-2013 school year. Related curricular areas do show up on the list for recent years, including Foreign Languages, English, Language Arts, and Spanish.
However, the large, diverse school district of Denver Public Schools indicates that as of 2013 it is in need of qualified instructors and that a significant percentage of the city’s students speak Spanish and require English Language Acquisition programming. In addition, Colorado recently passed legislation authorizing CDE to offer a Native American Language & Culture Instructor Authorization.
These factors suggest that Colorado’s TESOL market may be less promising than some other states, but opportunities for urban ESL teachers and multicultural educators remain.
Finding an ESL Teaching Job in Colorado
- CDE has designated the website Teachers-Teachers as its official site for posting job openings.
- Apply to work in Colorado’s high-need urban areas by applying on the Denver Public Schools website.
Colorado’s Professional Groups and Resources for TESOL
- CoTESOL, the Colorado Affiliate of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, hosts conferences and publishes newsletters about Colorado’s bilingual, multicultural, and ESL programs, as well as national trends in TESOL.
- Advocacy, dissemination of information, and sharing of resources are the focus of the Colorado Association for Bilingual Education (CABE).
- The BUENO Center for Multicultural Education is housed within the University of Colorado, Boulder and sponsors research and projects concerned with education, equity, cultural diversity, and linguistic