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| 3 | 4 | | |
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| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, The face of Texas is rapidly changing, and |
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| 6 | 7 | | demographic trends indicate that Hispanics will soon make up a |
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| 7 | 8 | | majority of the state's population; as a result, more certified |
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| 8 | 9 | | bilingual teachers are needed, and a program at the University of |
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| 9 | 10 | | North Texas is wisely addressing that need; and |
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| 10 | 11 | | WHEREAS, In collaboration with the Texas Higher Education |
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| 11 | 12 | | Coordinating Board, UNT is offering the Roberto R. Alonzo |
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| 12 | 13 | | Bilingual/ESL Education Scholars Program to provide scholarships |
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| 13 | 14 | | as incentives for students to pursue certification programs in |
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| 14 | 15 | | bilingual or ESL education; covering tuition and fees, the |
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| 15 | 16 | | scholarships are available to junior and senior undergraduate and |
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| 16 | 17 | | postbaccalaureate students at UNT; and |
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| 17 | 18 | | WHEREAS, Students enrolled in this program must maintain at |
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| 18 | 19 | | least a 2.75 grade point average, meet financial aid requirements, |
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| 19 | 20 | | and use the scholarship funds to pay for courses and fees related to |
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| 20 | 21 | | early childhood to sixth-grade bilingual or ESL generalist |
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| 21 | 22 | | certification; an average of 30 UNT students benefit from the |
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| 22 | 23 | | scholarship program each semester; and |
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| 23 | 24 | | WHEREAS, Equipping future teachers with fluency in the |
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| 24 | 25 | | Spanish language that will facilitate the delivery of content in |
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| 25 | 26 | | the classroom as well as encouraging respect and appreciation of |
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| 26 | 27 | | linguistic and cultural differences are important priorities of the |
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| 27 | 28 | | UNT program, and student participants may take pride in the fact |
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| 28 | 29 | | that they are providing a service that is vital to the future of our |
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| 29 | 30 | | state by attending to the needs of the growing population of |
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| 30 | 31 | | Spanish-speaking schoolchildren; now, therefore, be it |
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| 31 | 32 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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| 32 | 33 | | Legislature hereby honor participants in the University of North |
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| 33 | 34 | | Texas Roberto R. Alonzo Bilingual/ESL Education Scholars Program |
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| 34 | 35 | | for 2016 and commend them for their commitment and dedication to the |
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| 35 | 36 | | children of Texas. |
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