The IBAP grant (2023-25) provided $302,919, while the ExMILE grant (2024-25) contributed $391,564, with more years with the same funds directly supporting bilingual teacher candidates. Close to 60 bilingual teacher candidates benefited from these funds.
The five-year grant, awarded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Augustus F. Hawkins Center of Excellence Program, will fund the ExMILE project (Excellence as Multilingual Innovators and Leaders in Education), with a goal to address teacher diversity in the Inland Empire.
“Being bilingual has opened up many doors in both professional and personal settings,” said Rosaura Valenzuela. “It not only has provided me with opportunities to grow as a person, but it also has allowed me to connect with my community on a more personal level and better adapt to their needs.”
The James R. Watson and Judy Rodriguez Watson College of Education at Cal State San Bernardino, in partnership with San Bernardino Valley College, applied – and received – $500,000 funding for the Integrated Bilingual Authorization Program grant from the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing.