A cohort of EL educators from across the region visited Congress Park School to view D102 dual language classrooms. The visit was facilitated by researchers from the Literacy Squared Institute at The University of Colorado- Boulder. Literacy Squared is a research based comprehensive biliteracy model meant to accelerate the path to biliteracy in emergent bilingual students. The Literacy Squared model uses authentic instructional approaches in both English and Spanish to promote biliteracy while respecting the internal structures of both languages. Literacy Squared is led by researchers Susan Hopewell, PhD and Kathy Escamilla, PhD. Both are leaders in the field of bilingual education and have published books and articles on oracy and language building, assessment for bilingual learners, and metalinguistic awareness.
"It was a privilege to spend time with your teachers," said Susan Hopewell, Associate Professor of Equity, Bilingualism, Biliteracy at University of Colorado Boulder. "It is clear that there is strong and dynamic teaching taking place and that everyone is 100% committed to providing the most powerful educational experiences possible for bilingual learners. We hope to be invited back!".