U-46 to host second annual Dual Language Parent Academy Nov. 18

The Elgin Area School District U-46 English Language Learners Department will host the second annual Dual Language Academy for parents of preschoolers to eighth grade students from 8:30 a.m. to noon Saturday, Nov. 18, at Elgin High School, 1200 Maroon Drive.

In partnership with the Gail Borden Public Library, the event aims to inform and empower the district's dual language community to better prepare students for bilingualism and biliteracy.

The event will begin with keynote speaker Kim Potowski, an author and professor of Hispanic linguistics at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Dual language parents will have the opportunity to 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.

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

U-46 offers dual language classes in 33 schools, and more than 10,000 students are on their way to becoming bilingual and biliterate through the pre-kindergarten to eighth-grade dual language program. The district plans to expand dual language programming at the high school level for the 2018-19 school year.

Breakout sessions will be offered in both English and Spanish. Food and entertainment will be provided, and no registration is required.