Victoria ISD’s Crain Elementary has received a $250,000 School Action Fund-Planning Grant from the Texas Education Agency (TEA).
Crain’s “Redesign a Campus with A District-designed Blended Learning Planning Grant”, will be used to create a two-way Dual-Language program. Two-way dual-language is an integrated model in which two language groups are schooled together through their native languages.
The 2021-22 school year will serve as a planning year for Crain to redesign its campus and develop its school model. The two-way dual language program will allow children to develop both languages and cultures at an early age with the goal of being biliterate and bicultural. The school will gradually phase out its existing one-way dual language model.
“I am beyond thrilled about the grant opportunity to offer our community a two-way dual-language program at Crain Elementary that will allow students opportunities to listen, speak, read, and write in English and Spanish,” said Renee Ramirez-Harper, principal at Crain Elementary. “Two-way dual language programs build student’s capacity for biliteracy and biculturalism, which prepares them for amazing technical and professional options beyond public education, while also providing them with a competitive advantage.”
Crain will also be eligible for an additional $500,000 in implementation and continuation funding from 2022-2024.