UW-Eau Claire Launches Bilingual Education Certificate
The 12-to-14-credit program prepares teachers for Spanish and Hmong dual-immersion classrooms in the Chippewa Valley region.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Language Learning
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UW-Eau Claire has established a bilingual-bicultural education certificate open to pre-service and in-service teachers. The program was officially established in fall 2024, and its first graduating group completed the certificate in August 2025.
Why it matters
The certificate responds to difficulty Longfellow Elementary faced in finding certified teachers for its Spanish dual-immersion program, which began in 2019. Wisconsin's decision to license bilingual teaching in Hmong gives the program's Hmong emphasis a formal licensing pathway.
The bilingual-bicultural certificate requires 12 to 14 credits of coursework. Graduates then apply through the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction for licensure, and the source does not specify enrollment numbers or the timeline for licensed graduates.
The players
UW-Eau Claire
The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire is a public university in western Wisconsin that offers the new bilingual-bicultural education certificate.
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
The state agency responsible for teacher licensure in Wisconsin, to which graduates of the certificate program apply for a bilingual-bicultural license.
The details
Students complete coursework and a summer practicum at Longfellow Elementary School, the Eau Claire Area School District's Spanish dual-immersion school. The program emphasizes Spanish and Hmong based on language needs in the Chippewa Valley region, and Eau Claire currently has no Hmong dual-immersion program.
Timeline
2019: Longfellow Elementary started its Spanish dual-immersion program.
Fall 2024: UW-Eau Claire officially established the bilingual-bicultural certificate.
2025: Wisconsin decided to license bilingual teaching in Hmong.
August 2025: The first graduating group completed the certificate.
Language Learning Pathways
The certificate follows Wisconsin's decision to license bilingual teaching in Hmong, extending that state licensing change into a university training pathway. It parallels the Longfellow Elementary Spanish dual-immersion program that began in 2019 and showed the teacher-shortage problem the new certificate addresses.
Families in Eau Claire with children in Spanish dual-immersion classes now have a local university pathway for training teachers in that program. Residents interested in Hmong-language instruction can watch for future dual-immersion options as licensed teachers begin to graduate.
The takeaway
Bilingual education depends on a steady supply of certified teachers, and this certificate offers one route for educators to gain that credential. Parents and educators exploring language immersion can consider how programs like this expand access to multilingual schooling.
Further reading
Explore more on Language Learning to see how bilingual education programs are developing across communities.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Spectator.
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