| Indiana Department of Education Announces Record Dual Language Immersion Grant Recipients 42 Dual Language Programs Now in Schools Across the State INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) today announced that a record number of schools statewide will receive grants to establish or expand dual language programs as part of Indiana’s Dual Language Immersion Pilot Program. The program, first launched in 2015, works to support schools as they help students develop language and cultural competency skills. It provides grants to school corporations or charter schools to establish or expand dual language programs in French, Mandarin, Spanish or other languages approved by IDOE. The Dual Language Immersion Pilot Program has contributed to an expansion in Indiana’s dual language programs from four schools in 2014 to 42 schools across the state for the upcoming school year. For the 2022-2023 school year, 30 schools in 21 school corporations were awarded a combined $595,000, with state grant dollars supplemented by federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds. This includes 28 schools that are expanding their existing programs and two new programs: New Programs: School City of East Chicago – Benjamin Harrison ElementaryWashington Community Schools – Washington Primary SchoolExpanding Programs: Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation – Clifty Creek Elementary SchoolEastbrook Community Schools – Eastbrook South ElementaryFranklin Township Community School Corporation – Thompson Crossing ElementaryIndianapolis Public Schools – Theodore Potter ElementaryLawrenceburg Community School Corporation – Lawrenceburg Primary School and Central Elementary SchoolLogansport Community School Corporation – Columbia Sixth Grade AcademyManchester Community Schools – Manchester Elementary SchoolMonroe County Community School Corporation – Clear Creek Elementary School Summit Elementary School, and Batchelor Middle SchoolMSD Lawrence Township – Harrison Hill Elementary School, Indian Creek Elementary School, Mary Castle Elementary School, Skiles Test Elementary School and Sunnyside Elementary SchoolMSD of Martinsville – Poston Road ElementaryMSD Warren Township – Stonybrook Intermediate and Middle SchoolMSD Washington Township – Willow Lake ElementaryMuncie Community Schools – West View Elementary SchoolSchool City of Hammond – Washington Irving ElementarySouth Bend Community School Corporation – Harrison Elementary and McKinley Elementary SchoolSouthwest Dubois County School Corporation – Huntingburg Elementary SchoolValparaiso Community Schools – Parkview ElementaryWabash City Schools – Wabash Middle SchoolWarsaw Community Schools – Leesburg Elementary School and Eisenhower Elementary SchoolTo qualify for this grant, a school’s dual language immersion program must begin in either kindergarten or first grade and use an instructional model that provides at least 50% of its instruction in a target language and the remaining percentage of instructional time in English. The dual language instructional model provides a dynamic curriculum in English and a second language that integrates language and academic content. English learners participating in dual language education have been shown to develop higher levels of proficiency in the target language and English, demonstrate positive cultural competency and close academic achievement gaps between English learners and native English-speaking students faster. |