Dual Language Immersion in Nebraska

Dual language immersion is a program model in which students learn core academic content through two languages over multiple years, typically with a planned distribution of instructional time between English and a partner language such as Spanish (Howard et al., 2018; Lindholm‑Leary, 2012). These programs enroll both English‑dominant and partner‑language‑dominant students and are designed so that learners develop high levels of proficiency and literacy in both languages while meeting rigorous academic standards (Collier & Thomas, 2004; Howard et al., 2018).

Benefits of Dual Language Immersion

Dual language immersion programs have been shown to:

• Promote strong bilingualism and biliteracy: students can read, write, and communicate effectively in both languages (Collier & Thomas, 2004; Howard et al., 2018; Lindholm‑Leary, 2012).
• Support high academic achievement in core content areas, including reading and mathematics, over time (Collier & Thomas, 2004; Lindholm‑Leary, 2012; Umansky, Valentino, & Reardon, 2016).
• Strengthen cognitive skills such as attention control, working memory, and problem‑solving (Marian & Shook, 2012).
• Affirm cultural identity: students’ cultural and linguistic identities and foster positive cross‑cultural relationships among classmates (Howard et al., 2018).
• Importantly, dual language immersion benefits both English learners and native English speakers: research on two‑way immersion programs shows that, over time, students from both groups tend to meet or exceed academic expectations while gaining high levels of proficiency in two languages (Collier & Thomas, 2004; Lindholm‑Leary, 2012; Umansky et al., 2016).

Collier, V. P., & Thomas, W. P. (2004). “The astounding effectiveness of dual language education for all students”. NABE Journal of Research and Practice, 2(1), 1–20.

Howard, E. R., Lindholm‑Leary, K., Rogers, D., Olague, N., Medina, J., Kennedy, B., & Sugarman, J. (2018). Guiding principles for dual language education (3rd ed.). Center for Applied Linguistics.

Lindholm‑Leary, K. (2012). Success and challenges in dual language education. Theory Into Practice, 51(4), 256–262.

Marian, V., & Shook, A. (2012). “The cognitive benefits of being bilingual”. Cerebrum, 2012, Article 13.

Umansky, I. M., Valentino, R. A., & Reardon, S. F. (2016). The promise of two‑way immersion programs: Academic outcomes of English learners and native English speakers. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 38(4), 783–803.