A dual-language program in Dare County has taken off

Within the past few years, Dare County schools have scored among the top five public school districts in North Carolina. With an established reputation as one of the highest performing districts in the state, Dare County decided to build on that foundation with something new.

Envisioned in the fall of 2017 by Superintendent John Farrelley and implemented the following year in 2018, the program began in four of the county's schools with kindergarten and first grade. After the overwhelmingly positive responses from both parents and students, the program was expanded to the fifth elementary school in the county. Now, dual-language learning is an option for every child, and within the next two years, the district expects half of all its elementary school students will be bilingual.

"This has fundamentally changed the way we do school in a great way," said Johanna Parker, the director of innovation at Dare County. "We have huge community support out here, and when we first started, we had kids in kindergarten, and now we're starting to get siblings in the programs. People plan on having their kids at our schools — it's at the front of mind of our community."

Out of the five elementary schools in the district, three of them operate on a 50-50 model — teaching in English half the time and Spanish half the time — while the other two schools operate on a 90-10 model. Several of the schools also have bilingual teachers on staff who handle both English and Spanish instruction.

In her role as the director of innovation, Parker coordinates and leads the dual-language programs from the district level. Her responsibilities include staffing and professional development for school leaders and teachers, working with parents and organizing events, and anything else under the dual-language umbrella.

While teachers aid in creating and cultivating the curriculum, Parker's role in facilitating immersion on a district level helps the program flow as smoothly as possible. Additionally, having a partner like Participate Learning allows the district to find the staff it needs for the program to succeed.

"Having innovative teachers who are native speakers and are so creative is a huge reason why the program works so well, and our teachers from Participate Learning have been amazing," said Parker. "We always get high-quality, top-tier international educators, and their vetting process is incredibly helpful. When we get candidates through Participate Learning, I don't have to worry about if they're qualified or if they'll show up prepared. We are a smaller county, so we only have so many resources, and having Participate Learning as a resource to help with teacher and school administrator professional development is a game-changer."

With a strong teaching staff scattered throughout the classrooms in Dare County, students experience high-quality education and a level of cultural immersion few other children their age have access to.

"We have kids where, if you pop into their classroom, they'll assume that you don't know what's going on in the room. They'll come over and tell you, 'Oh, do you need a translator? I can help you,'" said Parker. "For the students, most of them don't know any different — they've only had school in an immersion setting. For them, they love it. They have an international educator, they're learning another language, and they're flexing parts of their brains that I wish I could flex."

It's not solely the students who benefit from the dual-language program. Since classes stay together throughout the course of their experience, students and their families in Dare County are able to build strong relationships and community bonds.

"One or two years ago, a few of our teachers organized an event across grade levels in the county. It was on a Saturday, and it was a soccer tournament where the kids could only speak Spanish, but anyone could come. The kids just loved it, and it was really amazing to have the whole community come out," said Parker. "We've also hosted potlucks where people come out and make dishes from their home countries. We have a high Spanish speaking population out here on the Outer Banks and we've seen a lot more parent engagement because parents know that their language will be spoken."

"The dual-language program is not just an add-on at each school — it's a tenant of the district, and that's what sets us apart."