- December 21, 2024
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Geri Chaffee sees a cultural shift in Sarasota County Schools as the district has been taking more interest in programs like dual language.
As the founder of Dreamers Academy, a charter school in the Newtown area that introduced dual language learning in Sarasota and serves 640 students, Chaffee said there are thousands more who could benefit.
However, she's also optimistic.
“I’m very encouraged. I think there's a shift happening in this district. I'm very excited about it,” she said. “I like the level of accountability and innovation that I see, and it's exciting.”
About 95% of English language-learners in Sarasota's school district speak the same language, Spanish, which she said makes the programs fitting for many areas of the county.
The concept of dual language programs has also increasingly been eyed by Sarasota's school district.
Highlighted on the "Every Student 2030” strategic plan by Superintendent Terry Connor are plans for dual language programming.
During his time with Hillsborough County, Connor facilitated the start of six dual language programs.
“We know there's a lot of research around the power of helping students in dual language... To me, that’s probably my driving force," Connor said. "Dreamers has done a great job filling that need. I also think the school district itself needs to find ways to expand dual language into other parts of our county.”
He said due to the demographics, the areas of greatest need now are North Port and South County, although there could be pockets of need in other areas.
“Cohort enrollment really drives how much you're going to offer in the school,” he said. “It may be that it’s limited to, say, 50 kids in a cohort, or if there is demand, it could be that the whole school at some point could be dual language.”
Chaffee said she's optimistic based on the plans she has heard from the district.
“I'm excited because the district has approached us to work together, and we want this program to be available to any child that wants it, any family that wants it, but we don’t have the capacity," Chaffee said.
The format of Dreamers Academy involves teachers collaborating in order to co-teach, alternating their instruction between English and Spanish throughout the week.
This gives children the opportunity to learn to read and write at a time when learning a language is easier.
“The reason it's easier for children to learn languages is because they take linguistic risk,” said Principal Cathy Rodriguez. “Of course adults can learn other languages. However, adults are maybe conscious about their surroundings. Maybe they don't want to take as many risks.”
Since the opening of its first exclusive campus in 2023, Dreamers Academy has also upgraded its offerings.
One example has been the establishment of a dual language library, which was made possible through a grant from Impact100 SRQ in 2024.
The space attempts to keep an equitable book selection, with half the books in English and the other half in Spanish.
The library is exclusive in what publishers it draws from.
“I’d rather have authentic Spanish language books than translations, because translations can change the whole level of a book, and sometimes translations are wrong,” Rodriguez said. “We've seen it over and over again.”
This year, the school also hired a full-time bilingual speech pathologist who works with children up to five times per week, a service that was found to be needed for some students.
Chaffee described the speech pathologist as “part of our culture" and as collaborating with the curriculum and staff.
From this point forward, Chaffee hopes to see dual language cohorts opened in district schools.
“I think we’ve already proven to district leadership that this is a superior instructional model that benefits all children,” she said.
