Some Georgia Schools Roll Out Dual Language Programs
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Some Georgia elementary schools are launching dual language immersion programs. Under the program, half the school day is taught in English and the other half in a foreign language.
Greg Barfield, a program specialist for the Georgia Department of Education, oversees the program. He says this fall, nine Georgia schools will participate in dual language programs.
“With the 50% of the day that’s done in the target language, the non-English language, that’s done in math, science, and then literacy in Spanish, French or Chinese,” he says, “The English portion of the day is usually Social Studies and English/Language Arts.”
The schools decide which target language to teach. Spanish may seem like the obvious choice. But two schools chose French, one chose German, and another Chinese. Barfield says the rest of the schools did choose Spanish.
“That does tend to be the predominant language,” Barfield says, “But many communities feel that their students have more of an opportunity if they have a language other than Spanish.”
The program begins in kindergarten and schools add one grade each year. State education officials say they’d like to see 20 programs in Georgia by the year 2020.
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