Utahn champions language immersion
It is becoming more common for U.S. public schools to offer language immersion classes in which the regular school curriculum and literacy are taught in English and a second language.
For example, students at Aspen Elementary School in South Jordan, Utah, can apply to spend half of each school day in English and the other half in Chinese. Cherry Hill Elementary in Orem, Utah, offers the same programming in English and Spanish.
Usually, that education ends after elementary school or with an Advanced Placement test in high school.
But the statewide program that Jill Landes-Lee oversees– the Utah Bridge Program –offers advanced college-level coursework for students after they’ve passed the AP language test. Utah’s program, unique in the country, gives students a leg up if they choose to go to college or allows them to start their career professionally bilingual.
Utah’s public school system has immersion programs in six languages: Chinese, French, German, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.
As director of the Bridge Program at the University of Utah for more than 10 years, Landes-Lee has made it her mission to rethink how early college programs attract and support students, particularly those from historically underrepresented backgrounds.
“Sometimes we need to disrupt or rethink the way things are done,” she said.
Her team’s work has paid off. Data across Utah shows that students are learning course content on par, or slightly better, when they learn through the immersion model. The Bridge Program has also boosted enrollment in early college programs among historically underrepresented student groups.
Landes-Lee is the USA TODAY Woman of the Year for Utah.
She credits the program’s success to the hard work of multiple teams of experts, teachers and immersion education specialists.
“It’s an extensive team effort,” Landes-Lee said. “We just wouldn’t be where we are at the high school and college level without this amazing work that’s happening in elementary and middle school with our state team.”
Hearing success stories from language immersion students is a highlight of her work.
“When we’ve interviewed students, they’ve said it was so much of a challenge that they had to pay attention, and they felt really engaged,” she said. “That’s a really great thing to hear from a kid. … And then they can come out of school with this gift.
“It’s a badge of honor for our system of higher education, and I would say thank you to all of the departments in our state for jumping in and making a real program that’s K-16.”
The program also appears to help students appreciate linguistic diversity. That can be particularly impactful for students who speak a second language at home, Landes-Lee said, causing them to view it as a strength and an opportunity.
“Being part of this seems to change students’ perception of what’s normal. Being multilingual, bilingual or more allows students to feel like switching between languages, groups, or cultures, is just normal,” she said. “It also supports their home culture for some kids . ... Who they are at home is a precious power.”
Heartened by the program’s results, she encourages other school systems to reach out if they are interested in drawing on Utah’s research and methodology “to learn from our successes and our struggles.”
This conversation below has been edited for length and clarity.
Question: Who paved the way for you?
Answer: Number one is my parents. They always encouraged me to learn for the sake of learning. That was a gift because just following my passions, and not worrying about where I would end up, was an amazing journey.
It’s also my fellow teachers and leaders. I’ve learned so much from colleagues as a teacher. I would never be a successful teacher without all of the staff, the teachers and the administrators who work together as a team and support each other. What is your proudest moment?
Hearing students tell teachers about what the program meant to them. When they come back and say, “You know what I did after I left?” or “This is what the program meant to me.”
I know a student who wanted to become a plumber. He said he is able to interact with language communities that he never would have been able to do business with if he didn’t know his second language. I know of another student whose dream was to be a chef. She moved to France and sent us back a video of her being a dual immersion student in French, and now living in France, and realizing her dream career.
It’s everything. Whatever it sets students up for next in their lives. That’s why we’re here. What is your definition of courage?
Sometimes, new ways of educating students, or a major shift in policy, is seen as inconvenient, or difficult, or disruptive, or too expensive. I think courage means we need to work with people who have different perspectives.
Having courage is being willing to keep working to disrupt something that needs change and to hopefully find common ground so that we can come out the other end benefiting kids. How have you overcome adversity throughout your career?
Focus. Determination. Not quitting. Having a clear purpose. I know what matters to students, and to our education system. Just keeping that focus. What advice would you give to your younger self ?
Keep reading. Keep listening. And listen more than you speak.*
“Sometimes we need to disrupt or rethink the way things are done.”