Two was the number of the night at Danz Elementary School on Thursday: two overhead projectors, two agendas, two speakers and – most important – two languages.
On the printed programs was the explanation. “Programa de dos Metodos Bilingua.” That is, “Two-Way Bilingual Program.”
Thursday night’s meeting was to introduce Danz parents to the program and gauge their interest. About 50 people attended. Many left their name and phone number with Principal Tom Madden, indicating their interest.
Parents’ questions Thursday ranged from how report cards would reflect students’ progress in both languages to what would happen if a child wasn’t doing well and wanted to leave the program.
Danz is an east-side Green Bay school with a population that’s evenly split between students who speak English as a first language and students who speak Spanish as a first language.
The school already provides English instruction to Spanish-speakers. It has proposed starting a voluntary program where classes would combine kids from both language backgrounds and teach them both languages simultaneously. If approved by the School Board later this spring, the program could begin this fall.
“I want to send my child here because I want her to be bilingual,” said De Pere mom Kirsten Spelman, who hopes to use Wisconsin’s school choice program to get her daughter, Senja, into the new program. “I want her to speak Spanish.”
Madden and bilingual teacher Patricia Agee-Aguayo took turns talking to parents like Spelman on Thursday evening.
Danz has selected a 50/50 model for the program. That means instruction time would be split evenly between the two languages.
Every day, students would have three hours of language arts instruction in both languages. For the rest of their classes, they would be on a six-day cycle.
On days one, three and five, instruction would be entirely in English. On days two, four and six, instruction would be entirely in Spanish.
The instruction of English and Spanish is kept separated because “we don’t want what is happening up here to be happening in our classrooms,” Madden said, pointing to himself and Agee-Aguayo. “If you don’t understand what I’m saying, you’ll just wait a minute for Patricia. You won’t put any effort into learning.”
In schools that have used such programs, most children are usually speaking both languages by the middle of third grade, Agee-Aguayo said.
Norma Quiroz, who has two children at Danz, said that issue is important to her.
“She’s concerned that they will learn more and more English and leave Spanish,” Agee-Aguayo translated for Quiroz. “With this, they learn two languages.”
Classes in the two-way bilingual program would have about 30 students – half Spanish-speakers and half English-speakers. An English-speaking teacher and a bilingual teacher would share duties.
The program would be only for those who choose it. Except in rare circumstances, students wouldn’t be allowed to enter the program after first grade because they’d be too far behind.
Madden said his school will find a way to report to parents how their children’s language development is going. And while the school would like students to commit to the program through fifth grade, no one will be forced to stay.
Spelman has no question about whether her children would stay in the program. She already has Senja and her son, 2-year-old Luke, watching Scooby-Doo in Spanish every day.
“I just think it’s a great opportunity,” she said. “I am so excited.
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