Two-Way Immersion | Alliance for Catholic Education

Dual-language immersion schooling is a pedagogically successful, academically rich, intercultural program of education policy and practice. Because faith and culture play a central role in Catholic education, dual-language programs are an ideal fit for Catholic school communities. Recognizing this promise, the English as a New Language program supports the implementation and growth of dual-language immersion programs in addition to researching the model.

Holy Cross School_students

Holy Cross School | South Bend, IN

Since 2017, Holy Cross has run a 90-10 Spanish immersion track (starting at pre-K) alongside its traditional English track, developed with Notre Dame's Institute for Latino Studies and ACE. The immersion program adds one grade level per year as cohorts advance, gradually shifting toward a 50-50 split so students reach biliteracy by around fourth or fifth grade.

St. Procopius School

St. Procopius School | Chicago, IL

St. Procopius is Chicago's first Catholic dual-language (English/Spanish) school and has offered a dual-language program for decades. ACE's ALMA team partnered with the school in 2020 to help its middle school students earn Illinois Seals of Biliteracy and continues to offer ongoing support.

St. Cletus School

St. Cletus School | La Grange, IL

St. Cletus recently launched a Spanish dual-language immersion track (beginning in early childhood, currently running through first grade) with the support of a Notre Dame grant and ACE guidance, making it the first suburban school in the Archdiocese of Chicago to offer one. The program adds one dual-language classroom per grade each year, growing over roughly a decade toward two classrooms per grade — one traditional English, one dual-language — while retaining its existing PreK-8 English track.

To learn more about how the ALMA team supports dual language immersion programs in Catholic schools, please contact Elisa Zwier Dralle (edralle@nd.edu).