Article by: Anne Li of the Arkansas Democrat Gazette
Photo by: Colin Murphey
The Little Rock School District will offer dual language instruction programs at Watson and Chicot elementary schools beginning in the 2026-27 school year.
The programs will start with kindergarten students and add one grade each year. Students will leave the programs able to read, write, speak and understand both Spanish and English.
The Little Rock School District is the first Arkansas district set to implement dual language programs in its schools. The district received approval for the programs earlier this month from the state Education Department, which will provide support and technical assistance and conduct classroom visits, according to a letter from the department.
The letter applauds the district for its "historic milestone as the first district in the state to implement an approved Bilingual/Dual Immersion (BDI) program."
Act 663 of 2021 opened the door for Arkansas public and charter schools to offer bilingual and dual-immersion programs approved by the Education Department's Division of Elementary and Secondary Education.
The law defines a bilingual program as a program that "(builds) upon a student's primary language skills and develops and expands the English language skills of each student to enable him or her to achieve proficiency in both languages," and a dual-immersion program as one that "develops dual language proficiency ... by offering a student instruction in English and instruction in another language in a classroom that is usually comprised of half native English speakers and half native speakers of the other language."
The Little Rock School District submitted applications for the programs last fall and received feedback from the state's review committee in January and March before being approved.
In a presentation to the Little Rock School Board at its Thursday meeting, Melissa Gude, the district's chief academic officer, touted the benefits of dual language instruction for students.
Those benefits include not just cultural competence and a deeper sense of belonging but also academic achievement. Gude cited research showing that dual language instruction models had the greatest impact on improving the reading proficiency of young English language learners.
Watson principal Chris Jackson said at the meeting that the majority of the students' day -- including Spanish language classes and core subject classes -- will be taught in Spanish.
A kindergarten schedule shared at the meeting includes a morning class for Spanish language arts integrated with science and social studies; a midday class for math, also taught in Spanish; and an afternoon English language arts class.
"I'm excited about this because at Watson Elementary ... we're right at about 55% English language learners," Jackson added. "They'll have an opportunity to encounter learning in their home language for the first time."
The program at Watson will consist of all heritage Spanish speakers, Gude said, while at Chicot, the program will include a mix of native Spanish speakers and native English speakers. The district aims to eventually expand the program to Lacey K-8 Academy, Gude added.
Board member Norma Johnson, who served on the advisory counsel, noted that students must live in the Chicot or Watson attendance zones to participate in the corresponding programs.
The district has spent "a long time -- two years, maybe even longer" preparing to offer the programs, Gude said. The advisory counsel, which included parents, community members and district and school officials, has met regularly to plan, Gude said, and the district has begun looking into strategies for recruiting more bilingual staff.
Gude praised Watson principal Chris Jackson and Chicot principal Gina Khoury for deciding to participate: "It's not an easy thing to take on something totally new."