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Hear what our students think about dual immersion
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Dual Immersion
At SEED, we value our diverse community, and we celebrate the language and culture of our students. Studies have shown that bilingual students perform better academically, learn to think more creatively, and are more thoroughly prepared for university and beyond. Our dual-immersion program in Spanish and English is based on proven models, and our students become fluent speakers, readers, and writers of both languages.
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Why Dual Immersion
Manzanita SEED provides dual-immersion instruction in Spanish and English from TK - 5th grade. According to Dr. Katheryn Lindholm-Leary's research on dual immersion programs, by 6th grade, English language learners in dual-immersion programs outscore their counterparts in all other programs as measured by the California Standards Test. Dual immersion leads to full English proficiency and produces student graduates who are bilingual and bi-literate. SEED is currently partnering with an OUSD middle school to build a dual-immersion 6-8 model so that by the academic school year 2017-2018, our current second grade cohort will have a dual-immersion pathway to middle school.
Oakland is an amazingly diverse city. Many languages are spoken at home by Oakland residents, yet, for most students, school is an English-only experience. In schools where another language is spoken, it is used as a bridge to English, not as a target language worth developing and sustaining. Many of Oakland's Latino students are segregated in transitional bilingual programs that provide limited support in Spanish for 3 years. As a result, there is a lack of integration between African-American and Latino students, the two largest populations in Oakland. This segregation adds to the long-standing division between the African-American and Latino communities.
In a traditional school model, the language abilities that students bring to school are not treated as invaluable assets. Most Latino students in Oakland do not develop academic Spanish at school, and tend to lose their ability to communicate effectively in Spanish by the time they enter middle school. African-American vernacular is frequently perceived as inferior to the academic English taught in school, which alienates the student and his or her family from the school system. Furthermore, English-dominant students do not get the opportunity to acquire a second language.
The dual-immersion program at SEED allows for the full integration of all language and ethnic groups on campus. As a result, SEED families are a true representation of the ethnic and socio-economic diversity of Oakland. In our classrooms, we have a balance of English-dominant and Spanish-dominant students. Our vision for the school is that all students will become bilingual and bi-literate as they develop a respect for diversity of language and culture through the intentional delivery of a multicultural education.
Oakland is an amazingly diverse city. Many languages are spoken at home by Oakland residents, yet, for most students, school is an English-only experience. In schools where another language is spoken, it is used as a bridge to English, not as a target language worth developing and sustaining. Many of Oakland's Latino students are segregated in transitional bilingual programs that provide limited support in Spanish for 3 years. As a result, there is a lack of integration between African-American and Latino students, the two largest populations in Oakland. This segregation adds to the long-standing division between the African-American and Latino communities.
In a traditional school model, the language abilities that students bring to school are not treated as invaluable assets. Most Latino students in Oakland do not develop academic Spanish at school, and tend to lose their ability to communicate effectively in Spanish by the time they enter middle school. African-American vernacular is frequently perceived as inferior to the academic English taught in school, which alienates the student and his or her family from the school system. Furthermore, English-dominant students do not get the opportunity to acquire a second language.
The dual-immersion program at SEED allows for the full integration of all language and ethnic groups on campus. As a result, SEED families are a true representation of the ethnic and socio-economic diversity of Oakland. In our classrooms, we have a balance of English-dominant and Spanish-dominant students. Our vision for the school is that all students will become bilingual and bi-literate as they develop a respect for diversity of language and culture through the intentional delivery of a multicultural education.
