The Coral Way Bilingual K-8 Center, built as Coral Way Elementary School in 1936, is a K-8 school located in Miami, Florida, United States (US). The school was a pioneer of bilingual education in 1963, when it began teaching through the mediums of English and Spanish with two groups of students (English- and Spanish-speakers). In 2004, the school expanded to includes grades 7 and 8.
The school building was designed by August Geiger, a noted South Florida architect who worked for the Dade County School Board. The architecture is Mediterranean Revival style and was constructed under the auspices of the Works Projects Administration and completed in 1936.
On September 3, 1963, Coral Way Elementary opened its doors as the first publicly funded bilingual program in the US with students from two different native-language backgrounds. With funding from the Ford Foundation, school district leaders (Dr. Pauline Rojas, Dr. Joseph Hall, Dr. Rosa Inclán, Mr. Ralph Robinett), teachers, and paraprofessionals, which were referred to as “Cuban aides,” implemented a bilingual curriculum where students were taught academic content through two languages.
The 1963 program began with about 350 grade 1-3 students, selected to maintain a balance of 50% English- and 50% Spanish-speakers. In the mornings, students were taught the curriculum in their native language (referred to as the “vernacular”). After midday, students transferred to classrooms in which the curriculum was taught through their second language.
The success of the program paved the way for the Bilingual Education Act of 1968 and more than 3,000 two way immersion programs in the US by 2020.
According to en.wikipedia.org. Source of photos: internet
