Dual Language Education Programs - FAQ 

What is Dual Language Education?

These popular and successful programs allow students to learn a second language while learning grade level academic content.

Dual Language Education programs are enriched educational programs in which students learn a new language by studying grade level content curriculum in two languages.

These popular and successful programs allow students to develop listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in two languages (currently at DCPS, only Spanish and English) through challenging and engaging classroom activities.

The goals of the Dual Language program are for students to become bilingual and biliterate, academically successful, and sensitive towards other cultures. For more information about Dual Language Education, read the Center for Applied Linguistics’ article about Two Way Immersion, the most common Dual Language model. (You can read the article in English or in Spanish.)

What are the benefits of enrolling my child in a Dual Language program?

There are many benefits to raising a bilingual child. Bilingualism increases mental flexibility and gives students a better understanding of how language functions. Bilingual children often outperform monolingual children on verbal standardized tests. Additionally, bilingual children maintain a strong sense of their own identity while developing sensitivity towards other people and cultures.

Many students who learn a second language are more willing and able to learn a third language as well, giving those students a head start on college admissions and the competition for in-demand career opportunities.

Finally, research has shown that Dual Language Education programs are an extremely effective learning environment for English Language Learners who often outperform their peers who are in English-only classrooms when measured on standardized assessments in English (Thomas and Collier, 2005). For more information about raising a bilingual child, read the brochure Why, How and When Should my Child Learn a Second Language.

What would a day in a Dual Language program look like for my child?

Most Dual Language students have two classrooms, an English environment classroom and a Spanish environment classroom, and two teachers. Your child might start the day in the English classroom studying English language arts and math, and then, in the afternoon, work in the Spanish classroom studying Spanish language arts, along with science or social studies in Spanish. (Note that the particular subjects taught in each language may vary depending on the school). The curriculum that is studied is the same as that being used in English-only classrooms, and all classes use the DCPS standards and the Teaching and Learning Framework to guide instruction.

Your child will probably have some classmates who speak English at home, others who speak Spanish, and even others who speak a third language in the home and are pursuing trilingualism! Homework assignments and classroom projects are designed so that your child can complete them even if you do not speak the second language at home.

Which DCPS schools offer Dual Language programs?

There are currently seven DCPS schools with Spanish/English Dual Language programs. Each school’s program is unique and is designed to best meet the needs of that school’s student population, while at the same time offering a rigorous educational program in two languages. See which DCPS schools offer Dual Language Education programs.

Where can I get additional information about Dual Language Education?

For information about specific Dual Language programs in DCPS, please contact Katarina Brito at the Office of Bilingual Education at Katarina.Brito@dc.gov or 202-671-0750.

For additional information, the Center for Applied Linguistics sponsors a website specifically about the Two Way Immersion model of Dual Language. You may access their Frequently Asked Questions page in English and in Spanish.

Dual Language Programs in DCPS

These popular and successful programs allow students to learn a second language while they are learning grade level academic content. The following DCPS schools offer Dual Language programs. Please contact the school to arrange to visit a DL classroom and to discuss each school’s program.

For additional information, please contact Katarina Brito in the Office of Bilingual Education at 202-671-0750 or Katarina.Brito@dc.gov.