ColoradoP School board to consider duao-language program

[Harold F. Schiffman]

School board to consider dual-language

Gina Guarascio Glenwood Springs, CO Colorado January 4, 2007

CARBONDALE, Colo. - Students at Crystal River Elementary School (CRES) in
Carbondale already get 45 minutes of Spanish language instruction every
day. Parent Colin Laird, who has a third-grader and kindergarten student
at the school, said his kids already speak more Spanish than he does. But
he wants to give them an opportunity to be truly bilingual. "That's why
I'm doing this," said Laird about his involvement with the committee
looking into a dual-language learning program at CRES. Laird and other
parents, teachers and staff from CRES are planning to present a proposal
to the Roaring Fork School District Board Wednesday, Jan. 10, to introduce
a dual-language program at CRES starting next fall.

"We've wanted this to happen sooner than later; our daughter already kind
of missed the window on this," said Laird of he and his wife Alice's
third-grader. "Because we have so many English Language Learners (ELL), a
lot of stats show you can use their native language to help them achieve
better. "They end up keeping their native language while learning another,
and Anglos end up speaking another language," he said. CRES already has 18
kindergarten students who are in a pilot Spanish literacy program, as well
as ELL, to see how they do, said Laird, who has been working with the
committee since last spring. "That's a precursor to dual language," he
said.

Dual-language, or bilingual education, means students learn the basics of
reading and writing in their native language as well as teaching subjects
in their non-native language. Basalt Elementary School has had a
dual-language program for about 10 years. "We haven't had to start from
scratch. There are lots of programs in the state and a lot of stats are
available," said Laird, who is on the school accountability committee and
is the executive director of Healthy Mountain Communities. His wife,
Carbondale Trustee Alice Laird, has been an outspoken proponent of
bringing more balance in the local public schools. The most recent
statistics show that CRES is about 80 percent Hispanic students, most of
whom are ELL. "(Dual-language) seems valuable in Basalt, maybe it will
work here. Given our demographics, it seems like a perfect fit," Colin
Laird said.

Laird said Superintendent Judy Haptonstall and CRES principal Karen Olson
have been part of the discussions from the beginning, as have some school
board members. He said he thinks the time and place is right for this type
of program. CRES students will be returning to school on Monday, Jan. 8,
in a newly expanded school on Snowmass Drive. Also on Jan. 10, the board
will consider a policy addition that will allow the district to close
schools in one community due to unsafe conditions rather than closing
schools across the entire district due to weather in one area.

http://www.postindependent.com/article/20070104/VALLEYNEWS/101040029

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