NCTE recognizes bilingual and bicultural education as basic components of the ELA field. Teachers of English in bilingual settings should have professional preparation, if not certification, in the field. NCTE encourages teachers of English to cooperate with colleagues in bilingual education programs. It encourages teachers with only a few non-English-speaking students to become familiar with bilingual education aims and methods and to draw upon ESL literature for help in meeting the needs of those students. NCTE assumes the responsibility, on both the national and the affiliate levels, of working with other organizations involved with bilingual education and especially with teaching English to speakers of other languages. From the NCTE Position Statement on Bilingual Education