The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has awarded more than $5 million in grants to support the bilingual educator pipeline. The number of English learners (ELs) enrolled in Illinois schools has increased steadily over the past 12 years, but the number of teachers qualified to teach these students has not kept pace. The Elevating Educators: Bilingual Education Grants will support up to an estimated 780 teachers in 219 school districts across the state in getting trained and licensed to teach the state’s growing number of ELs. Illinois schools serve more than 275,000 ELs, who speak 220 different languages. English learners make up nearly 14 percent of the Illinois student population. Illinois schools reported more than 300 unfilled teaching positions in bilingual education as of October 2022.  A total of 456 teachers in the state have an Educator License with Stipulations endorsed for Transitional Bilingual Education, which is a temporary license that allows them to teach ELs. This temporary license expires after five years. These grants will cover expenses, such as tuition and fees, for teachers who have this temporary license so they can get their permanent teaching license and be able to meet the needs of Illinois’ growing English learner population.. Find each recipient’s grant amount, as well as more information about the Elevating Educators: Bilingual Education Grant, on the ISBE website.