Dual immersion generally comes in two designs. The 90/10 model has 90 percent of the instruction in Spanish for kindergarten and sometimes first grade, leveling off each subsequent year until a 50/50 balance is achieved. In contrast, the 50/50 model balances Spanish and English throughout. Because of its unique teaching method, dual-language programs need stability. Central’s program is voluntary, but parents sign a contract agreeing to keep their child in for the duration, said Mary Serrano, Banning Unified’s English language learner coordinator.

In the early days of Central’s program, parents had to be recruited. Now, parents seek to have their children enrolled as much as two years in advance, and students attend from as far away as Perris, Serrano said. Dual-immersion programs can prepare students to communicate in a global society, said Teresa Marquez-Lopez, director of the Two-Way Immersion Biliteracy Specialist Institute at UC Riverside. Students also learn leadership as Spanish-speaking students help their classmates learn an unfamiliar language, Marquez-Lopez said.

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