Arlington Public Schools is pausing for one year the rollout of changes to its Spanish immersion programs at Claremont and Escuela Key elementary schools.
The pause and how it was communicated have upset parents of students most affected by the shift: rising second-graders. In speeches to the School Board, an online petition and interviews, this group of parents is calling on the Arlington School Board and school administrators to reverse course.
“There’s been a schedule laid out of how this is going to be implemented… And everyone was following it and it was going smoothly. All reports said that ‘everything’s going fine,” Claremont parent Meredith Judy told ARLnow. “Now, without any input, and really any forewarning, we suddenly get this email that says, ‘Sorry, it’s canceled. We’re pulling you out of the program.”
Two years ago this month, APS embarked on a multi-year effort to move from teaching 50% of the day in Spanish in the elementary years to 80% of the day, or what is called an 80/20 model. The school system says this benefits both English- and Spanish learners, who can continue with the program at Gunston Middle School and Wakefield High School.
“This model is something that the district spent years researching and planning with lots of community input, lots of looking at research, lots of talking to experts, we move to an 80-20 model because, from a pedagogical stance, from a support stance, it’s the best way to develop biliteracy,” Escuela Key parent Sandra Licon said. “It’s also the most effective way to support English language learners, who are the kids most behind in APS.”
It has even caught the attention of U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, who visited Escuela Key last year, bringing a group of international education ministers.
Implementation began last fall with kindergarten and first grade and was set to expand to second grade next school year, with third grade the year after. The pause means rising second-graders will revert to 50/50 from the 80/20 model currently in place in first grade.
It comes as Escuela Key parent Gwendolyn Grewe says she sees progress.
“[Students are] having conversations and they’re singing songs in Spanish,” she said. “They’re not being pushed, and can’t you can’t push kids.”
Judy, the Claremont parent, says she and fellow parents love Claremont and Escuela Key, despite the decision, and are happy with the teachers.
“We’re so thrilled with our program that we’re willing to fight this hard to hold on to it,” she said.
The decision was made based on feedback from both schools following the first implementation phase, APS spokesman Andrew Robinson told ARLnow in a statement.
“In consultation and collaboration with the principals of Claremont and Escuela Key, APS has decided to phase in the 80/20 model more gradually than initially planned,” he said. “Taking a more gradual approach will allow Claremont and Escuela Key to continue enriching the program and prepare for the successful transition to second grade.”
“It will also allow more time for teachers to engage in necessary professional development, further develop resources and assessments and continue curriculum integration,” Robinson added.
Others counter this narrative. A first-grade teacher at Claremont told ARLnow anonymously that teachers “were not part of the decision-making process” and were instead “informed at a grade-level weekly meeting.”
“First-grade teachers worked after school hours for the most part at the beginning of the year. It is natural for teachers to want to become more familiar with a new program and curriculum,” the teacher said. “We did not complain about this. This information was taken out of context by our administration and it has become one of the reasons for pausing the program.”
Although there are budget implications, “cost saving was not the driver of our decision,” Robinson said.
The pause delays some $459,000 in spending on two English language development teachers ($104,500 each) and $250,000 for materials and training. APS says families can weigh in on the change throughout the budget process.
This is not the only controversial budget cut this cycle.
APS proposes cutting an Arlington Outdoor Lab coordinator position that lab supporters say helps teachers prepare for field trips and amplify lessons learned outside in the classroom. Axing the position could also jeopardize fifth-grade overnight trips, which already imperiled by staffing and chaperone shortages — exacerbated by greater chaperoning requirements put in place after an undisclosed incident on an overnight last spring.
On Thursday, several students and adults asked the School Board to keep the position.
“The Outdoor Lab is one program that benefits most all the students in APS. It is especially important for kids whose parents don’t have the money or time to get outside and go fishing or boating in nature,” said Yorktown High School junior Cassidy Greenwalt. “The Outdoor Lab is medicine for all the APS kids who suffered due to the lockdowns during the pandemic. There is nothing like the Outdoor Lab anywhere else in the state of Virginia. This program should be cherished.”