At Seattle Amistad School, native Spanish speakers have the opportunity to maintain and continue their Spanish language development, in the context of their regular academic program. At the same time, children are introduced to English in a supported, relaxed way, gradually building up to full literacy in English as well. Home culture and language are utilized as the basis for solid academic and literacy development.
At Seattle Amistad School, native Spanish speakers become fully bilingual, biliterate, and bicultural, grounded in family and community, and skilled at navigating the wider world. Studies show that the instructional model used at Seattle Amistad School, two-way immersion, is the only effective model for educating new-to-English students, and for closing the academic performance gap. Research has consistently shown that native Spanish speakers in two-way programs demonstrate academic outcomes equal or superior to mainstream English-speaking students.
Native English speakers at Seattle Amistad School have a unique opportunity: access to a first-rate academic program through a second language, resulting in high academic performance and full bilingualism and biliteracy in Spanish. In a supported and structured way, English speakers receive academic instruction in Spanish first, and then build upon their skills to develop full literacy in both languages. Decades of research have shown that English speakers in two-way immersion programs, such as Seattle Amistad School, demonstrate academic performance equal to or higher than their counterparts in all-English programs.
All students at Seattle Amistad School participate in a dynamic, rigorous academic program, that includes readers’ and writers’ workshop, math, inquiry science, social studies, capoeira, health, and the arts. Additionally, teachers build lessons around childrens’ own lives, histories, and experiences, insuring that instruction is as culturally responsive as it is academically sound. Finally, all children at Seattle Amistad School prepare to become the leaders of tomorrow. Learning at Amistad incorporates a critical lens, through which children learn to examine their lives and the larger society. In becoming bilingual and bicultural, our students are prepared to be the bridges between people and communities, to work for greater justice and compassion in our world.