A K-12 Pathway to Bilingualism and Biliteracy in Omaha Public Schools

Elizabeth Leslie López is a second-year dual language teacher at RM Marrs Magnet Middle School in Omaha, Nebraska—the same school she attended when she arrived in the city from Michoacán, Mexico as a sixth grader in 2006. Marrs is located in South Omaha, a community that was founded in the 1880s and became known as “Magic City” due to rapid population growth driven by immigrants who came to work in the meatpacking industry. South Omaha remains a culturally diverse area, reflecting the Polish, Czech, German, and Mexican communities that have influenced its architecture, art, food, and traditions.

When López arrived at Marrs, she didn’t understand English. She was helped by a bilingual liaison, who served as a bridge between her family and the school, and who encouraged her and other students to be “la mejor versión de ellos mismos” (the best version of themselves), said López. She went on to graduate from the dual language program in Omaha South High Magnet School, where she became a bilingual liaison herself in the summer of 2017. Bilingual liaisons provide interpretation and translation, and they assist in initial English learner (EL) intake processes to ensure that families receive support in their home language.

López’s path from student to bilingual liaison and dual language teacher spotlights the success of the first dual language immersion (DLI) program in the state of Nebraska. While many school districts across the country have implemented dual language programs, Omaha Public Schools (OPS) stands out for having a program that serves ELs from kindergarten through high school.

The program began in 1998 when OPS received a $2.5 million federal Title VII grant to restructure and implement innovative programs to better serve EL students. At the time, there was a steady increase of EL students and many schools lacked programs to serve them. Aware of research showing the value of dual language education for EL students starting from a young age, Susan Mayberger, former English as a Second Language (ESL) coordinator and head of the Migrant and Refugee Education Office in OPS, recommended the DLI program and partnered with a small group of teachers, school leaders, and parents to launch one at Marrs elementary school, a school with a high number of ELs, committed school leaders, and bilingual teachers.

The first year of the grant was dedicated to planning. Founding teachers learned from experts and districts across the country already implementing DLI programs like New York, California, and Texas and drew on this research to write the curriculum and design the program. “If it wasn't rolled out correctly, you could have parents upset, the community upset, and teachers can think they're losing their jobs if they're not bilingual,” said Mayberger.

When there was skepticism about how teaching students in their first language could promote the learning of English and increase academic achievement, it was important to educate people about the research, said Mayberger. Over the last 20 years, research has suggested that DLI programs are beneficial for ELs because they promote bilingualism, biliteracy, academic achievement, and cross-cultural competence while promoting high academic achievement and improved rates of reclassification.

In 2001, the district expanded the DLI program to South High School even though the program had not yet been fully implemented at the elementary and middle school levels, since “there was an opportunity to apply for a Title VII grant to implement the programming at South High School,” Mayberger said. South High School had a high EL student enrollment, many of these students were also enrolled in remedial courses. Program implementation began with identifying courses that were predominantly offered to ELs, like remedial biology, and offering them in both Spanish and English.

Over time, additional courses were offered in math, social studies, and science. Spanish classes and Spanish literature Advanced Placement (AP) classes were included as well. “The minute we brought dual language to South High School, we no longer needed the remedial biology course; we could just offer biology,” Mayberger said, adding, “actually, it became an honors biology course because once we were able to teach the students in the language they understood, they could meet academic outcomes.”

The district continued to expand DLI programs to three additional elementary schools. In 2004, Marrs was converted into a middle school, which created a pathway from kindergarten through twelfth grade. Jaimie Cogua, coordinator of English Learners, Dual Language, and Migrant and Refugee Education in OPS, believes that a major strength of the district is that it offers a K–12 dual language program with a well-established history.

Today, OPS offers Spanish-English dual language programs for over 3,000 students in six elementary schools, three middle schools, and one high school. The program has stayed true to its original mission: a full 78 percent of dual language students are current or former ELs. Almost 90 percent of them are Latinx and more than 86 percent are eligible for free/reduced-price lunch. As Katy Cattlett, former dual language supervisor in OPS, told us, “the dual language program is kind of an equalizer; we even out the game for a [population] that is often marginalized.”

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The DLI program in OPS provides an environment that values and recognizes the language and culture of all students in order to help them achieve academic success in both Spanish and English. As López tells her students:

El español es parte de su cultura, que nunca deben de avergonzarse ni dejarlo atrás porque es algo que les va a ayudar a comunicarse con su mamá, su abuelito, su tía o con quien sea porque siempre va a ser parte de su cultura y tradiciones. (The Spanish language is part of your culture. You should never feel embarrassed or leave it behind, because it’s something that’s going to help you communicate with your mom, grandfather, aunt, or whoever. It will always be a part of your culture and traditions.)

Students who graduate from the DLI program in OPS receive the Seal of Biliteracy on their diplomas, an award given by schools, districts, or states to recognize those who graduate from high school proficient in two languages.

But perhaps the most gratifying effect of this DLI program is that a pipeline of dual language students are graduating with interest in becoming dual language teachers. López shared that when she started as a bilingual liaison, her work was driven by a desire to help immigrant students by offering them the same support she received, As she said, “yo quería hacer lo mismo por otros estudiantes que van a estar en la misma posición que yo estaba y quería ayudarles para que puedan superarse y siempre ser la mejor versión posible de ellos mismos, porque fue lo mismo que me sucedió” (I wanted to do the same for other students who are going to be in the same position that I was and wanted to help them so that they can overcome and always be the best possible version of themselves.)