Writer A group of youngsters at Newhall Elementary School is taking part in a quiet revolution that could change the way bilingual education is taught in the Santa Clarita Valley. What's more, they argue that the program is vital in a constantly changing landscape of languages and cultures.
Parents also participate in the program, reviewing children's work at home.
Aimed at those in the primary grades, the program has produced dramatic results, especially among those who had difficulty learning how to read using traditional methods, educators say. It's really fun. It's really amazing. The program was developed several years ago by a bilingual teacher in Oxnard and is being used by students in Washington, Texas and Arizona. Newhall educators are so excited about the program that they plan to immediately introduce it next fall to children in kindergarten through second grade at four district schools.