Some schools in the US and other regions around the world have started to encourage families to sign up for dual-language immersion programs.
According to AbroadEd, one of the first institutes to commence a Spanish-English immersion program in the fall is Bakersville Elementary School, Manchester, New Hampshire, and it is designed to bridge the gap between native Spanish speakers and native English speakers in Ward 3.
Though the program is designed to start at Bakersville, AbroadEd could confirm that the program could be extended to other kindergarteners in the district if the number of families enrolled in the program is not sufficient.
Other district education officials are hopeful that the program will become successful in Manchester, so that they can also adopt the model in their districts in the near future.
Why the dual-language immersion program?
According to Nicole Doherty, the executive director of teaching and learning: “This program was created to help students grow, learn and enhance their cognitive abilities, because Spanish speakers are the second-largest group in our district and a two-way immersion program is one of the most effective ways to be bilingual.”
“More so, about sixteen hundred students in the district identify Spanish as their primary spoken language at home,” she continued.
An expert from AbroadEd could confirm that the immersion classes will be taught 80% in Spanish and 20% in English with the hope that half the enrolled students will be Spanish speakers and the other half English speakers.
Wendy Perron, the district’s executive director of English learners instruction and equity, also commented on the benefits of the program.
In her words: “Having a bilingual brain helps the kids have an easier time understanding math concepts, switching between tasks, applying logic, and learning other languages.”
