Linfield University will partner with Chemeketa Community College on a new five-year, $3,497,045 grant from the U.S. Department of Education under the National Professional Development Program (NPD). This funding will support Project ABLE (Accessible Pathways for Bilingual Leaders in Education), a transformative initiative designed to recruit, prepare, and retain bilingual and multilingual educators.
Grow Your Own (GYO) initiatives are cropping up across the state to provide Oregon K-12 students with educators who reflect, and in many cases are from, the communities they serve. This project will support 202 bilingual teacher candidates as they pursue nontraditional pathways to licensure.
Linfield is one of Chemeketa’s six partner universities in the program, along with George Fox, Pacific, Western Oregon, Portland State and Oregon State.
“We are proud of the strong partnership we’ve built with the education department at Chemeketa, and we’re excited to continue working together to support and nurture new teachers for Oregon schools,” said Linfield’s director of teacher education, Carrie Kondor. “Through our innovative articulation plan and conditional admission to Linfield’s Online and Continuing Education teacher preparation programs, teacher candidates can complete prerequisite coursework at Chemeketa and confidently progress toward shaping the future of our schools and communities.”
Project ABLE supports diverse future educators, focusing particularly on first-generation and Pell Grant recipients proactive advising and strategic financial support. The initiative will serve at least 202 students, creating opportunities for students to thrive in the education sector.
“We are thrilled about the possibilities this federal grant provides for Chemeketa’s education students and to build on long-term efforts to diversify our K-12 educator workforce by increasing the number of bilingual and multilingual teachers in our region,” said Karla Hale, director of education at Chemeketa. “This competitive award supports our enduring partnerships with local school districts and universities that will shape the next generation of educators representing our vibrant and diverse communities.”
The grant is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s broader efforts to increase access to high-quality education, particularly for underrepresented students. U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona has highlighted the importance of multilingualism, calling it a “superpower” that benefits students both culturally and economically.
