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U-46 hosts second dual language parent academy

Elgin Area School District U-46 hosts its second annual Dual Language Academy for parents of preschoolers through eighth-graders Nov. 18.

The event is organized by the English Language Learners Department in partnership with Gail Borden Public Library. It aims to inform and empower the dual language community to better prepare students for bilingualism and biliteracy.

It will run 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Elgin High School, 1200 Maroon Drive.

Kim Potowski, an author and professor of Hispanic linguistics at the University of Illinois at Chicago, will give the keynote address.

Parents can choose from a dozen sessions, including a day in a dual language classroom, how to support Eureka Math at home, understanding assessments, and various ways to aid students academically and linguistically.

Breakout sessions will be offered in English and Spanish. Food and entertainment will be provided. Registration is not required.

Research shows Spanish is the most spoken non-English language in the United States. In 2015, the nonprofit Instituto Cervantes reported there are more Spanish speakers in America - 41 million native speakers plus 11.6 million bilingual residents - than in Spain.

More than 53 percent of U-46's 39,377 students are Hispanic, according to the 2017 Illinois School Report Card.

The district offers dual language classes in 33 schools educating more than 10,000 students in prekindergarten through eighth grades to become bilingual and biliterate. The program will be expanding into high schools in the 2018-19 school year.

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