Bilingual Intercultural Teacher Education: Nuevos Maestros Para Bolivia

Educational reform efforts in Bolivia have created possibilities for teacher-training institutions to focus on bilingual intercultural education. How teacher trainers and future teachers embark upon this endeavor differs somewhat depending on the sociolinguistic, historical, and institutional contexts of each community. This article reports observed challenges and successes related to bilingualism and biliteracy development within the context of a sample of normal schools in Bolivia specializing in bilingual intercultural education. Through the framework of sociocultural theory and the use of ethnographic methods, Hornberger's (1989) Continua of Biliteracy is employed to examine the complexities of literacy practices observed in these schools.