A group of local teachers, administrators and community members are designing a Dual Language Immersion program that will lead to students becoming bilingual and biliterate in both Spanish and English. The program is planned for Santa Barbara Junior High for Fall 2020. The model will be launched at one of the district’s existing elementary school campuses in Fall 2021, and eventually, at the high school level.
The goal of the Dual Language model is to create a learning environment where students from diverse backgrounds learn to speak, read and write in two languages, participate in multicultural studies, and explore rich cultural experiences. Dual Language Immersion programs are proliferating rapidly in the United States, and particularly in California, where state education leaders have called on districts to create plans for multilingual pathways.
Over the past 20 years, SBUSD has chartered a Dual Language program at Adelante School on the Franklin Elementary School campus. Students from Adelante – and others who are interested and who meet the criteria – will feed into the program being implemented at Santa Barbara Junior High in Fall 2020.
Research shows there are cognitive, academic, economic and social benefits to learning a second language, particularly at a young age.
For further information about the Dual Language Immersion program, please contact Maria Larios-Horton, Director of English Learner and Parent Engagement Programs: [email protected]
For further details about this program, please visit our website: https://www.
Para aprender más sobre este programa, tambien puede visitar nuestra pagina web: https://www.sbunified.