Alicia R. Chacón International School
Public school in El Paso, Texas, United States From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alicia R. Chacón International School (Spanish: Escuela Internacional Alicia R. Chacón) is a K–8 school in El Paso, Texas. It is operated by the Ysleta Independent School District.
| Alicia R. Chacón International School Escuela Internacional Alicia R. Chacón | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
 | |
221 Prado Road , 79907 | |
| Coordinates | 31.705087°N 106.348571°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Public school |
| Principal | Ruben Cadena |
| Faculty | 48 |
| Grades | K–8 |
| Enrollment | 792 (2014-2015) |
| Website | www |
Chacón has a two way bilingual education program that is intended to teach Spanish-speaking students English and English-speaking students Spanish.[1] Students may also take a third language; available third languages are Chinese, German, Japanese,[2] French,[3] and Russian.[2] The bilingual education program was developed to encourage speakers of one language to retain their language and to also learn a second language at the same time. This differs from other bilingual programs in Texas, where non-English speaking students are expected to learn solely in English once they achieve a certain competency in English. As of 2009 Chacón has long waiting lists of students. Nate Blakeslee of Texas Monthly argued that other Texas school districts should use Chacón's bilingual program.[4]
The school, which opened in 1995, was named after Mexican American politician and judge, Alicia R. Chacón.[5] Its two-way bilingual program for kindergarten through grade 3 opened that year as part of the U.S. Department of Education-funded Project Mariposa ("Mariposa" means butterfly), an effort between different school districts. Each following year an additional grade level with bilingual education was established; in 2000 the school's first eighth grade class graduated.[6]
In 1995 the school had 352 available spaces for students. By June 25, 1995 234 places were taken.[7]
Students are expected to gain a high level of literacy in Spanish. As of 2009[update] early grades course content is primarily taught in Spanish, but in later grades English becomes the predominant language of instruction. [4]
Mandarin Chinese, German, Japanese, French and Russian were to be offered in the coursework from the school's beginning.[7]
As of 2001[update] 95% of the students are Hispanic and Latino, and the remainder belong to other ethnicities.[6]
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