A North Texas school district is working with educators all the way from Alaska in a special partnership to preserve native languages.
Teachers and leaders from the Lower Kuskokwim School District of Bethel, Alaska visited Grand Prairie ISD in February, a delight to both students and teachers here in Texas.
The visitors are turning to GPISD for help in building their own dual-language program, something Grand Prairie has mastered over the last 20 years.
GPISD is the flagship district for the "Gomez & Gomez" model of dual language, which helps students master biliteracy and biculturalism by conducting core subjects in both English and Spanish.
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In Alaska, many students are learning Yugtun, the state's largest native language of the Yup'ik people. The hope is to eventually have a program as complete and thorough as GPISD’s so that the local language can be honored and preserved in future generations.
"We found that while our makeup is significantly different, we have the same goals, the same passion, and the same interest in preserving the language – and having our students have ownership of who they are. And having that be highlighted in both languages so that they can be successful in both worlds,” said Christina Robbins, Lower Kuskokwim school district.
It's not an easy feat. Lower Kuskokwim has 1,000 students in its growing program, which is hard to do in the unique terrain of Alaska.
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“That's over 21 different campuses in 21 different communities. And so if you can imagine doing that as a second third-grade teacher, for example – I may be the only second or third-grade teacher for 50 miles and I would have to get on a plane and go into another community to meet another second third-grade teacher, which is significantly different than what we've seen here [in Grand Prairie],” said Robbins.
The special partnership between the two districts formed 12 years ago when they met during a national conference in Dallas.
Ever since, the districts have continued this important friendship through 2022, in the name of helping students succeed.
