Wisconsin Needs More Speciality Schools
Wisconsin State Journal - May 17, 2009
by Scott Milfred
School children who learned to read first in Spanish now have a
better grasp of English than their English-only peers.
That’s the exciting news from Madison’s dual-language charter
school, Nuestro Mundo, which means “Our World” in English.
And it should lead to more diversity in the kinds of public school
programs and settings Madison and other Wisconsin districts offer
in the future.
One-size-fits-all education — in which every student studies the
same things in the same ways — is outdated, limits innovation and
leaves too many children behind.
The schools of the future need to reach and inspire more students
using a range of teaching strategies and school models, some with
pathways to specific careers.
Nuestro Mundo is in its fifth year on Madison’s East Side. The
School Board approved this unusual charter school in 2004, bucking
opposition from the school superintendent at the time as well as
suspicion from the teachers union.
The school is incredibly popular, with a waiting list and lottery
to get in.
Here’s how Nuestro Mundo works: About half of the students enter
kindergarten speaking only English. The other half are native
Spanish speakers.
Virtually all instruction the first year is in Spanish, no matter
the subject, with no translation — just visual aids, repetition and
themes. Gradually, English is added until, by fifth grade, it’s
50-50.
This might sound scary to grownups who only speak English. I have
to admit some nervousness when my wife and I enrolled our daughter
last fall.
But we knew that children’s brains soak up language like sponges.
And evidence suggests the intellectual rigors of learning a second
language at such a young age can boost academic success in all
subjects.
Parent-organized charter schools are free from regulations to try
new things. Yet they are held accountable. Eventually, all of the
students at Nuestro Mundo must take standardized tests — in English
— just as their peers at other schools do.
The oldest students at Nuestro Mundo tested poorly in math last
year when they were in the third grade. And they were a little
behind their peers in reading English.
But now that the same students are in the fourth grade — having
completed more English instruction — their test scores have
markedly improved.
Eighty-one percent of the Nuestro Mundo fourth-graders tested
proficient or advanced in English reading on the most recent tests.
That’s better than the fourth-graders in the district as a whole,
most of whom speak only English.
The Nuestro Mundo fourth-graders are still behind their
English-only peers in math. But that gap is closing.
This is not just a proud father bragging about his kid’s innovative
school. Dual-language education may not be for everyone.
My hope is to encourage more school districts across Wisconsin to
offer parents and children more education options.
How about more “green” charter schools that stress environmental
science? Why not a zoo school with a niche in biology? Add schools
to promote the arts, entrepreneurship and public service?
President Obama is offering planning and training grants for such
schools. It’s time for more districts to take the plunge.
Scott Milfred is editorial page editor for the State Journal. You
can contact Scott Milfred by e-mail at smilfred@madison.com or call
Scott Milfred at 608-252-6110. Read more of Scott Milfred's columns
at www.scottmilfred.com.
