CRES says Bienvienido to dual language

The Roaring Fork School District recently approved the start of a Dual language program at Crystal River Elementary School. The program was proposed by a committee of parents, teachers, and administrators to help boost student achievement.

As Gina Guarascio writes in the Valley Journal,

Crystal River Elementary School (CRES) teacher Kenny Teitler was instrumental in starting a dual language learning program at Basalt Elementary School more than 12 years ago, and he couldn’t really think of a negative thing about the program there.

He can easily talk about the positives of dual language learning, where students learn basic literacy in their native language first while also learning academic concepts in their non-native language. The result should be better written and oral communication in Spanish and English, said Teitler, as well as higher test scores for all kids. [...]

Board member Brad Zeigel said he’s excited about the program because it focuses on student achievement and is something that benefits the Anglos and Latinos.

“I can’t see a single thing wrong with knowing another language,” said Zeigel, who added he wished he would’ve learned Spanish in school. “It’s a real neat thing for Carbondale and we’ve got the core grassroots support that you need from parents and staff.”

Besides bringing up test scores, Teitler said the dual-language program in Basalt brought out a greater confidence in students of all cultures and more willingness to participate.

For more information on the research behind the proposed program visit the CRES wiki.