Abstract
In this chapter, we describe the theoretical and empirical foundations upon which one Massachusetts university is creating and implementing the Bilingual Education Certificate (BEC). We begin by unpacking a set of five research-based principles that serve as the program’s foundation for preparing bilingual teachers. Next, we describe a practice-embedded educational research approach (PEER; Snow, 2015) that centers collaboration between the university and partner bilingual schools, focused on both pre-service student placement and on bilingual literacy research. Finally, we describe how these principles and the PEER approach are embedded in the development and implementation of the BEC program. In so doing, we aim to: a) contribute to the limited literature on the bilingual teacher education; b) inform efforts to create bilingual teacher endorsement or certification programs; and c) ensure a foreseeable future where bilingual programs are in neither survival nor restoration mode, but are rather are part of a growing and thriving bilingual education ecosystem.