Bilingual education programs provide learning in academic content areas (such as mathematics, science, and social studies) through the medium of two languages. Thirty years of research consistently confirms the positive effects of bilingual education on student learning.
What are dual language immersion programs?
Dual language immersion (DLI), also referred to as “dual language” or “two way” programs refer to bilingual education programs that provide instruction in two languages for two different groups of speakers, such as native English speakers other language speakers (e.g., Spanish, Urdu, French, Mandarin). The most common are English-Spanish.
How many DLI programs are there?
North Carolina has the 5th largest number of DLI programs in the United States and the largest number in the Southeast US with more than 260 programs (North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, 2024) and about 20 DLI programs are in South Carolina. There are more than 3,600 in the United States (Williams et al., 2023).
The First Publicly-Funded Two Way Dual Language Immersion Program in the U.S. (1962)
The Coral Way Bilingual Program was the first publicly-funded and researched program in Miami, Florida (University of Florida Archives).
