All across Arizona, dozens of schools now offer some form of dual language education.
On Monday, ABC15's Nick Ciletti showed you how one school in Apache Junction is integrating Spanish into the curriculum for dozens of students.
Today, we want to dive deeper, follow up on how it works, and also look at the history behind dual language and the ongoing debate happening right here in Arizona.
"Good job! Muy bien hecho!"
It's a common phrase you'd expect to hear inside a dual-language classroom where students are learning equally in English and Spanish.
Students at Apache Junction Unified's Four Peaks Elementary School are blazing the trail for their district as part of the first cohort of students enrolled in dual language education this morning.
"It's been absolutely positive," explains principal Yesenia Braasksma, one of the co-creators of Four Peaks Elementary School's dual language program.
"I had families with children in pre-school and they were asking if they could be on a waitlist."
Braaksma says the school is using what's known as a 50/50 dyad learning model where students spend half their day in English with one teacher and the other half learning in Spanish with another teacher.
"For us, it's the right age for them to be learning a second language," explains Braaksma. "They're like sponges. They are soaking up everything and they are learning."
But historically, not everyone has supported the 50/50 model, at least not for students still learning English.
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"It's about two things: It's about legality and it's about what's best for students." That's what the Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne told ABC15 during a 2023 interview.
At the time, his office was suing the Creighton School District for using the 50/50 model for English Language Learners (ELL,) saying it violated Prop 203, which voters passed back in 2000.
The prop says that ELL students must be taught in English only.
"So for anyone that can read the English language, it's clear that dual language is a violation of the initiative passed by an overwhelming majority, over 60% of voters," explained Horne back in 2023.
But in 2019, the Arizona legislature passed SB 1014, which gave the State Board of Education more leeway for ELL students, paving the way for the Board to use four different learning models, including the 50/50 model.
Eventually, Horne's lawsuit against Creighton Schools was dismissed.
We asked Principal Braaksma how she would respond to any potential criticism of the way her school is handling the 50/50 model.
"I would say, watch it see it for yourself. Watch how the model works...Some parents are hesitant. 'Will it work? Will they lose that learning in English?' But they don't. They're more focused because they listen to the language."
Braaksma adds the school has checks and balances in place to make sure everybody - including ELL students - is set up for success.
"Our goal is to make sure they are efficient in both English and Spanish. That way, there is no gap in that...I also have an SEI or ELL teacher that will pull the students aside daily and work with them in small groups."
For Braaksma, the new initiative is deeply personal. She says her grandfather, who was of Mexican descent, attended segregated schools in Gilbert and was prevented from speaking Spanish in the classroom.
For Braaksma, helping students learn Spanish is a full-circle life moment.
"It's so exciting because, again, with my grandfather not having it, I am an educator trying to influence and bring this rich culture to my students today."
