New York City’s Arabic Dual-Language Program Is Thriving

P.S./I.S. 30 Mary White Ovington School in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn hosts New York City’s only Arabic dual-language program. From pre-K to 5th grade, and soon 8th grade, it is always a joy to see the children flourish in two languages. After several months of extensive collaboration and planning, the Arabic dual-language program at P.S./I.S.30 opened its doors in September 2013. The dual-language curriculum was designed as a split day, where morning classes are taught in Arabic and afternoon classes in English, or vice versa.

Many families interested in the Arabic dual-language program speak another language at home, such as Russian or Chinese, due to the multicultural landscape of the neighborhood the school serves. These families see the program as a form of academic enrichment, much like classes for “gifted” students that already exist in schools across the country. In this sense, Arabic language instruction is gaining the status it was so often denied in attempts past, as families now jump at the chance for their children to become fluent in a second, or even third, language.

For more information, you can read Arabic Dual Language Program at P.S. 30 in Brooklyn.