Superintendent of Public Instruction Suellen Reed congratulated four Indiana schools for their efforts to expand World Languages and Cultures: Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township’s Forest Glen Elementary School, Craig Middle School and Lawrence North High School and the International School of Indiana.

These schools are Indiana’s first additions to the International Spanish Academy program, a collaborative between American public high schools and the Ministry of Education and Science in Spain. The schools were honored by representatives from the Ministry of Education and Science of Spain during a ceremony held in Miami, Florida in early November.

“An increased global presence by Indiana is good for the state’s economy, but it also means that Hoosier students need the skills to interact and compete with peers from other nations and cultures,” Dr. Reed said. “The Indiana International Spanish Academies are excellent resources and models for Indiana schools to follow.”

The International Spanish Academies (ISAs) develop a quality English-Spanish education program through a network of selected schools in order to better promote the study of Spanish language and culture. ISAs are constituted in schools that have previously signed a cooperation agreement with the Ministry of Education and Science in Spain, as well as schools that are in compliance with existing federal and state laws.

Schools inducted as ISAs have demonstrated superior instruction in the area of Spanish. To be considered, schools must offer the following:

• Grade level common curriculum delivered partially or totally in Spanish.
• A specific component of language and cultures of Spanish-speaking nations.
• At the elementary level, between 50% and 100% of total instruction delivered in Spanish.
• At the middle level, approximately 40% of total instruction delivered in Spanish.
• At the high school level, approximately 30% of total instruction delivered in Spanish.

Dr. Reed wants to expand world language programs in Indiana and is proposing a World Language Collaborative Proposal pilot to begin instruction at earlier ages. She has proposed partnerships between local school corporations and colleges and universities that would result in more students being exposed to world languages at earlier grades when research shows it to be most effective.

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