Community-Based Heritage Language Schools (CBHL)
Languages:
Spanish
Part of a larger non-profit organization
Immersion for Spanish Language Acquisition (ISLA)
Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27514
Immersion for Spanish Language Acquisition--ISLA--builds community with Heritage Spanish and more! Institute Background
ISLA builds community and leadership through educational Spanish language and cultural immersion programs since 2012. Our content-rich programs include a Saturday Heritage Spanish language program offered for free to our local heritage Spanish-speaking community PreK-12, with parent programs, and online Spanish immersion summer camps fully outdoors rich in content and language. ISLA keeps learning fun! ISLA also offers Spanish immersion classes for all, offered both through partnerships with local schools and directly to the public through our website: https://www.laislaschool.org/
We in ISLA have always welcomed dialects and indigenous languages from all of our Latin American heritage ISLA community members. Parents volunteer to share their culture of origin. We have increased both the number and variety of learners in ISLA over time by offering Spanish immersion online for all to local schools and publicly through our website, for all learners online, even teachers, for a fee to help cover our Saturday program costs. We reach out to area educators as learners. ISLA is excited about its annual Virtual Education Conference titled: Bridging the Divide: Connecting Educators and Schools to Latinx Families. Information is available on our website.
ISLA strategic planning, policies and practices seek to support as many Heritage language learners as possible for free in boosting their academic readiness and meeting socio-emotional needs, insofar as we are able to provide such education within the limits of our fundraising capabilities. For ISLA this opening of access means that as many learners interested in attending programs as possible can do so within the limits of our financial capabilities to provide Heritage Spanish programming for free, and within our possibilities to administer and provide quality online fee-based Spanish immersion courses. We seek to continuously provide a high-quality, research-based education for our Latinx and larger community that is confidence-building and responsive to learner needs.
- Access
- Excellence
Improve Access for all learners in more languages
Percentage of types Students
Heritage Language Learners 75%
Multilingual Learners 100%
Learners who speak a language that is linguistically related to the target language 10%
Learners who speak a language that is culturally (but not linguistically) related to the target language 10%
Types of language learners are enrolled
- American Indians
- African Americans
- People of Color
- Heritage language learners (second generation or more)
- Recent immigrants
- Refugees
- Latino/Latina/Latinx learners
- English Language Learners
- Economically disadvantaged students
- Learners from government recognized indigenous areas
Programs available in your school
- Continuous program from grades Pre-K to 12 (novice to advanced)
How do the programs identified above meet the needs of learners of different ages in your school
We assess needs, meet with parents, test reading levels, and ask students what they would like to learn about so that content will be of interest to the students.
What additional activities do you implement at your school to attract and maintain enrollment of students in different groups
We do a lot of science outdoors, something missing M-F in schools, we survey parents and ask students what they would like to do/learn, we meet needs they describe.
Main reasons students attend your school
- To connect with their heritage in a meaningful way
- To gain literacy in the language, in addition to oral communication skills
- To communicate with relatives in the home country
- To communicate with relatives or others in the language community in the U.S.
- To gain bilingual proficiency for future professional use
- To have a place they feel safe, loved, special, capable, and can experience success in meaningful ways.
Do you offer different pathways of study and engagement to align with the interests and goals of the learners in your school?
We offer pathways students express interest in, so these pathways may change with each group/student. We offer support for first generation college applicants. We exist to help learners with Spanish proficiency, cultural knowledge and comfort, as well as meet needs they may express. We hope learners take on leadership roles, as they do within the organization of ISLA, once in the larger community. ISLA envisions an equitable society strengthened by the power, knowledge, and value of Latin American languages and cultures. ISLA visualiza una sociedad más justa fortalecida por el poder, conocimiento, y valor de las lenguas y culturas Latinoamericanas
How does your school strive to provide incentives for students to enroll in the language programs?
- Community and/or parent outreach
- Financial support
- Community functions (e.g. culture events, clubs, etc.)
- We respond to what the community describes they need. We do not discard their voices, we listen and act upon them.
Percent of the students attend your school remotely
Students who live in same area...........20 %
Students who live in different area...........1%
Different types of classes meet the needs of students
By serving the whole family we serve the needs of Heritage language learners, and by offering academic content not covered in M-F school we help with academic readiness.
Types of instructional formats your school offer
- In-person
How the instructional formats available at your school enable learners from different geographical areas and other distance-related constraints to receive instruction
We offer online instruction through our website. Some families drive up to an hour to be in our in-person programs because this is what they wish for their children.
Please describe other ways in which your school excels with respect to this factor.
We hope to continue to excel in offering services to our community that are both useful and hope-building.
What are the main sources of financial support for your school
- Tuition
- Other grants
- Private donations from individuals
- Private donations from businesses
- Fundraising events
Does your school offer financial assistance to students?
Yes
How important is the impact of the financial assistance on student enrollment at your school
5
Which of these common competing commitments faced by the learners most negatively impact student enrollment and/or attendance
Name
After-school activities in the mainstream schoo
Homework and other academic pursuits
Extra-curricular activities (sports, music, hobbies)
Religious obligations
Family obligations
Work
Field name
Attendance
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
Enrollment
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
How has your school been able to accommodate your students’ competing commitments so that they can attend your school?
Families choose to commit to ISLA, we require they attend the Heritage program regularly, since it is free, or they lose their spot.
How has your school been able to accommodate your students’ competing commitments so that they can attend your school?
Families choose to commit to ISLA, we require they attend the Heritage program regularly, since it is free, or they lose their spot.
Does your school provide information to parents and other stakeholders about essential school information?
Yes
What are the most effective communications methods with parents and stakeholders?
Phone calls, texts, emails, Facebook.
What aspects of these methods or strategies for reaching out to parents create effective means of sharing information?
All in conjunction.
Does your school communicate with the community at large about events and other information?
Yes
Please describe any educational and cultural activities, seasonal events, as well as other programs and opportunities that your school makes available to the community at large.
Art shows, fundraisers, online courses, educator classes, summer camps and special events.
How do these activities create linkages to your community of students, teachers, stakeholders?
These activities bring awareness to ISLA and all we do to serve children in the Heritage Spanish speaking community, as well as offer Latin American-based language and culture to the larger community to promote community cohesion.
List the percentage of students by age group
PreK-K students 6%
Kindergarten students 4 %
Elementary school students 50 %
Middle school students (grades 6-8) 20 %
High school students (grades 9-12) 10 %
Adults 10 %
Excellence through transparency and accountability
Curriculum and instruction
- Curriculum and instruction that build on the linguistic skills and cultural knowledge that learners bring to the classroom
Professional Development
- Recruitment of skilled educators and other personnel
- Provision of ongoing professional development for educators and other personnel
- Regular faculty meetings and opportunities to work in professional clusters
- Peer mentorship among the instructors
- Facilitation of and support for participation in specialty courses offered by universities, homeland consultants, HL experts, etc., if available
- Facilitation of and support for attendance at professional conferences in the U.S. and/or in the HL country or internationally
Vision, Strategic Planning, and Priorities
- A publicized vision statement and strategic plan to assemble the human, institutional, and financial resources of the school that support the goals of the school
Transparency, Accountability, and Outreach
- Professional and consistent engagement with the HL community and the larger community to recruit students and teachers and motivate parents and stakeholders to support and advance the aims of the CBHLS
Institution Information
Year School was Established
2012
Languages taught at your school
Spanish
After-school Classes
Number of weeks per year: 32
Number of hours per week: 1
Average Number of Students
150
Average Number of Teachers
20
Saturday or Sunday Classes
Number of weeks per year: 3
Number of hours per week: 32
Summer Camps
Number of weeks per year: 6
Number of hours per week: 30