The program is implemented at seven campuses in the district north of Houston, where there are equal numbers of native English speakers and native Spanish speakers in each class. Conroe ISD Superintendent Curtis Null proposed discontinuing the program because of a budget deficit, and also because of staffing shortages and a decline in enrollment in the program, but tabled that plan after pushback from community members.
We have some problems. Conroe ISD parent Johnathan Gray said he was hesitant about the program at first, before adding that his kindergartener has benefitted from it. They're learning to be friends with people who are different than they are. Galia Villada Perez, one of several students to speak Tuesday, said she met her first best friend in the program. It gave me an opportunity to make friends who only spoke English when we first met.
I met my very first best friend while being in the dual language, and she only spoke English. And I spoke mostly Spanish and a little bit of English. Through cultural family nights, strong bonds are built between our students and parents throughout the program.
Maritza Figueroa, who introduced herself as a neuropsychologist, said research shows benefits of dual-language programs. It can also obviously improve executive functioning, and it may also actually delay the onset of dementia.
According to the National Institutes of Health , young children have an easier time learning a new language, and the ability to learn certain aspects of a language can be limited as the child grows older. Still, Conroe ISD administrators said its program loses efficiency when students drop out of it, which impacts the student-to-teacher ratio of a classroom. Conroe ISD tries to maintain a to-1 ratio, and many of its dual-language classes end up with half that amount of students.
