Over the last year, we have been examining the effectiveness of our instructional program relative to English Language Learners (ELL). Much of this review has been championed by Ingrid Colvard and Pat Jones with the support of Deb Kernen and Asha Riley.
We have unified administratively in our belief that we should move forward in offering a "Dual-Language" program.
There is a state-funded competitive planning grant available with an application deadline of September 7th. One element of the application is a demonstration of School Board support.
The two-fold purposes of this presentation is 1) to provide the board with a concise overview of dual-language programs and their effectiveness, and 2) to seek support from the board in moving forward with the planning grant.
The board will be involved and approve any final implementation prior to implementation of a program in the fall of 2018.
For Directors who wish to dig a bit deeper, I have attached a research-based article titled the Astounding Effectiveness of Dual Language Programs for All. (20 pages)