An organized effort to get a dual language program in the Shawnee Mission School District received strong support in a recent public input effort, buoying supporters’ hopes that it might make it onto the district’s long-range strategic plan later this year.
The district is in the early stages of its planning process for a new strategic plan.
At a school board meeting Monday, Leigh Anne Neal, Shawnee Mission’s chief of early childhood learning and sustainability, presented six guiding principles for the strategic plan approved by a 31-member steering committee.
The principles outline broad ideals, with no specifics on actual programs. It’s still too early to know if dual language — a program in which children, typically in elementary grades, learn in both English and another chosen language — will emerge as a winner when officials put those ideals into action.
But leading dual language advocate Andy Rondón of Overland Park said he hopes the strong showing in the district’s recent “thought exchange” surveys will translate into serious consideration at the next stage of the strategic plan process.
Dual language was the most mentioned item in “thought exchange”
As part of the public input for the district’s new strategic plan, people could post a note to an online “thought exchange” and rate other people’s posts, as well.
Dual language was ranked first in mentions among the 1,356 responses, according to the district’s results page.
Two other language-related topics — “bilingual” and “language” — came in second and third. Individual “thoughts” on those topics also were favorably rated.
“I truly feel like we’ve demonstrated this is a priority for the community,” Rondón said. “I don’t know how we could have had a better outcome on the thought exchange.”
The district will now form “action teams”
The six principles presented to the board on Tuesday did not specifically mention dual language. But there’s still room for that at the next step, which is the meeting of “action teams,” in a few weeks.
As with the steering committee, the district seeks committee members of different backgrounds, including students, to be on the teams, which will consist of around 30 members each.
Applications to be on the teams opened Tuesday and will close at 5 p.m., March 6.
The action teams will meet March 27, April 10 and May 1, and may have additional meetings, if necessary.
Will support on “thought exchange” lead to action by district?
Rondón and like-minded supporters of a dual language concept have been working for over a year to find a way to persuade administrators to begin the early and immersive language program in at least some SMSD schools.
They’ve held informational meetings with different PTAs and created a Facebook page devoted to dual language.
After the board meeting this week, Rondón posted that he is optimistic that dual language could fit into more than one of the broader ideals.
“After several conversations with board members and district staff, I feel very good about dual language & world languages as a special (program) moving forward,” he wrote on the group’s Facebook page.
At the same time, he said he worries about how much significance the district will attach to the thought exchange versus data and input from other sources.
“It doesn’t feel like the thought exchange is playing a huge role in the decision making, which is surprising since it is the only portion of the planning process that anyone in the district can participate in,” he said.
Rondón said earlier that his group’s own survey of 400 people, with every elementary school represented, showed 85 to 90% of respondents supporting a language program.
Other JoCo districts have dual language programs
Dual language programs differ from school to school, but typically begin in elementary school with immersive experience and teaching in a chosen language.
How much teaching is devoted to that language, and which schools or classrooms participate can vary.
Advocates say the programs have many cognitive benefits. According to Rondón’s report, dual language also supports many of the other priorities mentioned in the thought exchange, including problem solving, critical thinking, effective communication and positive attitudes about students from other backgrounds.
Other local districts have dual language programs including Blue Valley, which has a Chinese immersion program at two elementary schools currently, though the district will pare it down to one starting next school year due, in part, to concerns about cost and challenges finding adequately trained instructors.
Olathe Public Schools offers Spanish immersion at two elementary schools.
The public school districts in Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri, also offer dual-language options.
What happens next in SMSD?
If other committee members, board members and administrators agree, it may still be months before such a program could realistically get off the ground on Shawnee Mission.
The school board won’t get a final draft of the strategic plan until June 24, just about two months before the start of next school year.
“This is a big ship and we don’t turn big ships abruptly or people fall off,” said board member David Westbrook at the meeting.
Shawnee Mission’s strategic plan principles
Though none directly mentioned dual language education, the six strategic plan principles unveiled Monday included (verbatim):
- Learning: We will ensure meaningful and personalized learning experiences for all students.
- Belonging: We will intentionally strengthen our unified, equitable, inclusive culture to ensure belonging for all.
- People: We will enhance our community-centered environment to recruit and retain diverse and exemplary educators, staff and families by being the best place to learn, work and connect.
- Technology: We will ensure the intentional and innovative use of relevant technology throughout the district to achieve our mission.
- Mental health: We will foster an environment that supports the mental, social and emotional well-being of the entire SMSD learning community, including physical well-being.
- Facilities: We will strategically focus resources to support state-of-the-art facilities to accomplish our beliefs, mission and objectives.”
