North Carolina schools find success through dual-language immersion program

This article was written for our sponsor, Participate Learning.

According to the most recent data from the United States Department of Education, 39 states across the country offer some type of language immersion program — and with benefits that include increased problem-solving, communication skills, cultural awareness and self-perception, it's easy to see why.

Participate Learning, a global education organization, is helping schools across North Carolina effectively implement dual-language immersion programs. The organization thoroughly vets and hires international teachers through a cultural exchange program, provides global curriculum and resources and assists in immersion implementation.

At Wake County's Jeffrey's Grove Elementary, a former Participate Learning cultural exchange teacher is now leading the school in its dual-language programming.

"I came to the U.S. 22 years ago as a Participate Learning cultural exchange teacher, so this has been a full-circle journey for me. To now be leading a school with Participate Learning cultural exchange teachers on staff — it's the most amazing thing. Our teachers are not only top professionals, but they also have great resilience to take this leap of faith and come to a new country," said Juli Ventura, principal of Jeffrey's Grove. "They're coming here with their hopes and dreams, and they want to share everything that they bring with them with their students — including their language, their country and the challenges they have had to navigate."

In order to ease the transition to a new country, Participate Learning prepares international teachers by providing guided, pre-arrival online training sessions, arrival orientation, a support network of experienced ambassador teachers and access to professional development opportunities, among other things.

With the help of Participate Learning cultural exchange teachers, Jeffrey's Grove was ranked as one of the top magnet schools in North Carolina and was named a National Magnet School of Distinction by Magnet Schools of America.

"Students who speak a second language have been shown to be more engaged and have improved confidence. Learning a second language just helps our students be comfortable with being uncomfortable," said Ventura. "It doesn't only improve their communication, but it also increases their job opportunities — I know our children are going to have an advantage, whatever career field they go into, because they'll be able to do it in two languages. Spanish is one of the most commonly spoken languages in the entire world, so it doubles their ability to engage with communities."

"It is long-lasting, to grow up learning about other kinds of people and interacting with people who are different from you — different experiences, different attitudes, different traditions and a different way of seeing things," she continued. "It just gives them a global mindset that is so important in this day and age, to be able to see the world through the eyes of their neighbor."

In Person County, chief academic officer Amy Whitlow has seen similar results. The county's immersion program started three years ago and has been met with widespread support.

"When we first introduced this idea, our parents came out to the interest meetings and were intrigued by the benefits of being bilingual and knowing how much it could help their children. The parents that were excited about it really encouraged other parents that had more questions — since then, we have not had any trouble recruiting families every year. We've been very blessed with having full classrooms," said Whitlow. "That support and open-mindedness was so helpful in the beginning, and really helped the program become as successful as it is today."

In Whitlow's district, schools operate on a 90/10 model, meaning 90% of instruction provided is in Spanish and 10% is taught in English. Many of the students are now at a level where they can communicate almost fluently in Spanish, and according to Whitlow, the majority of the results of their English assessment show that they outperform their peers that don't participate in an immersion program.

For Whitlow, the support and resources of Participate Learning have been invaluable to the program's success.

"The team at Participate Learning has been so supportive — I reach out to them and literally an hour doesn't pass, and they're back in touch with me. Whether it's advice about how to solve a problem or a particular resource to solve an issue, they can put me in touch with other schools that have had similar problems, or come up here and meet with us at any time," said Whitlow. "There is nothing our teachers won't do for the children, and Participate Learning comes right alongside to make sure that everything is rolling smoothly. Even throughout the challenges of COVID, I can't think of one thing I'd change."

This article was written for our sponsor, Participate Learning.