Madison's Dual language immersion program faces challenges

Matthew DeFour:

As the Madison School District's dual language immersion program enters its eighth year, the increasingly popular option for native Spanish and English speakers is experiencing growing pains.

The district is expanding the program to all of its high school attendance areas, and is looking into possibly adding French and Chinese dual language programs, which would also pair native and non-native English speakers.

National research has shown dual language programs improve student learning better than programs that teach English to non-native speakers or two languages to non-English speakers.

But some School Board members have concerns about the expansion, especially after a recent report highlighted some of the program's shortcomings.

"I'd rather fix the red flags and make sure we've got it right before we expand," said School Board member Lucy Mathiak. "I don't see how you expand a program and attend to the things that need to be dealt with at the same time."

Posted by Jim Zellmer at August 10, 2011 1:23 AM
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