Indeed, more than 30 years of research shows students in immersion classes do as well as or better than non-immersion peers on standardized tests given in English, according to "What Parents Want to Know about Foreign Language Immersion Programs," published in 2003 by the Education Resources Information Center online digest.

Also, some hypothesize kids in these classes benefit "from a leveling-of-the-playing-field effect" when everyone is working on a second language.

"For Spanish-speaking students we view this as closing the achievement gap," Roberts said, "and for those English-speaking students, we look at it as an enrichment."

The Granite programs will have children speak English the first half of the day, when they learn language arts from an English-speaking teacher. They'll speak Spanish in the second half, when they learn social sciences, science and math from a different, Spanish-speaking teacher.

While students won't directly study Spanish language, the ERIC article says they can develop proficiency by hearing and using it to learn those other subjects.

The schools will offer the program in two first-grade classrooms each; two other traditional first-grade classes also are offered, so parents can choose. The schools want a long-term commitment, as these students will get dual language immersion through sixth grade, Syroid said.

Teachers also will observe and train at the Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition at the University of Minnesota, one of the U.S. Department of Education's Title VI National Language Resource Centers, aimed at boosting the nation's capacity to effectively teach and learn foreign languages.

Indeed, the program is not taken lightly. The expectation is proficiency in two languages. And leaders have no doubt kids will live up to it.

"To come out of elementary school with the gift of being not only bilingual but biliterate, that's an amazing gift to give to your child," Roberts said.

---

E-mail: jtcook@desnews.com