A BOOST FOR LANGUAGE EDUCATION

Program will aid bilingual education

A $1.4million W.K. Kellogg Foundation grant will train principals, teachers to expand dual-language programs into more APS schools.

Albuquerque Public Schools is expanding dual-language opportunities through a new partnership with a local organization.

Dual Language Education of New Mexico recently approached APS to offer training to teachers and principals at eight schools in the Rio Grande Cluster — Armijo Elementary, Adobe Acres Elementary, Navajo Elementary, Pajarito Elementary, Ernie Pyle Middle School, Polk Middle School, Harrison Middle School and Rio Grande High — thanks to a $1.4million W.K. Kellogg Foundation grant.

The goal is a dual-language pathway with immersive curriculum that supports children from pre-K through high school.

“It is time, within our communities, to turn language and culture into assets,” Victoria Tafoya, program director for DLeNM, told the APS Board of Education during a recent meeting.

The organization will work with the Rio Grande Cluster schools for the next three years in the hope of eventually replicating the program across the district.

Katarina Sandoval, APS associate superintendent for equity and access, said there is strong community interest in instruction that allows students to become fluent in English and Spanish.

Last spring, the district held a series of public forums to gather input on the five-year academic master plan, and many attendees requested expanded dual-language education.

By offering the new pre-K to 12th-grade pathway, APS will go beyond the programming in most districts around the country, Sandoval said.

APS board members applauded the effort.

“This is something this entire board has been pushing and advocating for,” said board member Don Duran, whose term ends this month.

Board Vice President Lorenzo Garcia noted that students will benefit from the D LeNM program because many industries are searching for employees with Spanish language skills.

“I would like to see this in every part of the district,” he said.

APS already offers some form of dual-language instruction in many schools, serving about 10,000 children, according to the district website.

In total, APS enrolls 85,000 students — 67 percent are Hispanic and 17 percent are classified as English Language Learners.

The district historically has struggled to find bilingual teachers.

Last month, administrators announced a push to create a larger pool of applicants for teaching positions in the most in-demand subjects: math, science, special education and bilingual instruction.