The genesis of a district-wide Spanish FLES program
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G. Richard Tucker
Abstract
In this paper, we describe the systematic planning and subsequent implementation of a new system-wide Spanish program at the primary level in one of the school districts in suburban Pittsburgh, PA. We discuss the steps involved in selecting the target language — involving community, teacher, and board consultation; the incorporation of the language program into the overall curriculum of the district; and the active participation by all senior administrators, including the superintendent, in a year-long planning effort that culminated in teacher selection, curriculum development and in-service training for all primary school faculty members. We then describe the current program which is presently in its third full year of implementation. This program involves all children in kindergarten, grade one, and grade two with plans to add one additional cohort each year until all children in the school system are included. We present information concerning the language and attitudinal development of the participating children. Through a series of detailed interviews with the stakeholders of the program, we analyze the planning and implementation process. We identify and discuss six themes that emerge across interviewees. We conclude with a discussion of factors that have contributed to the successful implementation of this exemplary program.
Abstract
In this paper, we describe the systematic planning and subsequent implementation of a new system-wide Spanish program at the primary level in one of the school districts in suburban Pittsburgh, PA. We discuss the steps involved in selecting the target language — involving community, teacher, and board consultation; the incorporation of the language program into the overall curriculum of the district; and the active participation by all senior administrators, including the superintendent, in a year-long planning effort that culminated in teacher selection, curriculum development and in-service training for all primary school faculty members. We then describe the current program which is presently in its third full year of implementation. This program involves all children in kindergarten, grade one, and grade two with plans to add one additional cohort each year until all children in the school system are included. We present information concerning the language and attitudinal development of the participating children. Through a series of detailed interviews with the stakeholders of the program, we analyze the planning and implementation process. We identify and discuss six themes that emerge across interviewees. We conclude with a discussion of factors that have contributed to the successful implementation of this exemplary program.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Spolsky’s educational linguistics 1
-
Part I
- The monolingual teaching and bilingual learning of English 7
- Literacy 19
- Bilingual processing strategies in the social context of an undergraduate immersion program 35
-
Part II
- Some construct validity issues in interpreting scores from performance assessments of language ability 63
- What second language learners can tell us about the native speaker 91
- The social responsibility of the language testers 113
-
Part III
- Multilingualism and diglossia in Palestine in the first century of the common era 133
- Introducing Khayem Zhitlovski 145
- Arab language education in the Hebrew state 155
- Adult use and language choice in foreign language policy 171
- Linking levels in foreign language teaching through a common frame of reference 197
-
Part IV
- Micro language policy as a barometer of change 211
- The genesis of a district-wide Spanish FLES program 235
- The distinctiveness of Applied Linguistics in Australia 261
- Educational linguistics as a field 271
- Index 299
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Spolsky’s educational linguistics 1
-
Part I
- The monolingual teaching and bilingual learning of English 7
- Literacy 19
- Bilingual processing strategies in the social context of an undergraduate immersion program 35
-
Part II
- Some construct validity issues in interpreting scores from performance assessments of language ability 63
- What second language learners can tell us about the native speaker 91
- The social responsibility of the language testers 113
-
Part III
- Multilingualism and diglossia in Palestine in the first century of the common era 133
- Introducing Khayem Zhitlovski 145
- Arab language education in the Hebrew state 155
- Adult use and language choice in foreign language policy 171
- Linking levels in foreign language teaching through a common frame of reference 197
-
Part IV
- Micro language policy as a barometer of change 211
- The genesis of a district-wide Spanish FLES program 235
- The distinctiveness of Applied Linguistics in Australia 261
- Educational linguistics as a field 271
- Index 299
