Canutillo Independent School District’s innovative dual-language program received high marks from the top English-language acquisition officer in the U.S. Department of Education during a visit on Thursday.
Montserrat Garibay, the Department of Education’s Acting Assistant Deputy Secretary and Director for the Office of English Language Acquisition, spent the afternoon reviewing and assessing dual-language classrooms at Reyes Elementary School during a multi-day visit to the Border.
Garibay and other biliteracy experts spoke to students, teachers and administrators about the impact the 50-50, English/Spanish instructional program has had.
“You can see that there’s a lot of love and passion for teaching here,” Garibay said after observing instruction in action at several classrooms. “I am happy to take this message back to D.C. and sharing it with” U.S. Secretary of Education Dr. Miguel Carmona.
Canutillo ISD is a dual-language school district that offers instruction in English and Spanish to students who opt into the system. Classroom teachers impart instruction in English one day and Spanish the next in order to promote bilingualism and biliteracy.
Noni Silva, Canutillo’s director of Academic Language Services, said students enrolled in dual-language programs tend to outperform those students who opt out of the program.
“We are thrilled to show off the wonderful work that is happening in our dual-language classrooms to Ms. Garibay and the other visitors,” Silva said. “We have a lot to be proud of, and the students are benefiting from the forward thinking approach to education that is the signature of Canutillo ISD.”