administrators, and parents lead the school-level conversion, supported by the BC Design Team operating as the connecting hub. School teams receive extensive professional development, including an annual weeklong Summer Academy, webinars, and an experienced local professional to serve as a mentor. Mentors are local university faculty or current administrators in bilingual schools and become key school partners for the journey.
During the academic year 2014–15, more than 900 students in 18 U.S. cities attended Catholic schools designed to achieve the TWI goals. TWIN-CS member schools have reported on average a 13% growth in enrollment over the last two years.
TWIN-CS Schools in This National Study
Ten TWIN-CS schools participated in this study and their responses clearly stand out, especially in two key areas: assessing school culture and stewardship strategies.
Beyond offering a dual-language program, all of these schools cultivate an environment that integrates Spanish language and Hispanic identity. Prayers are written and shared in Spanish, prominent school signage is displayed in both Spanish and English, and school liturgies and prayers reflect and embrace Hispanic culture. In comparison, only 35% of respondents in non-TWIN-CS schools write and share prayers in Spanish and only 21% display prominent school signage in both languages.
Compared to schools not in the network, TWIN-CS schools enroll a higher number of Hispanic students and employ a larger percentage of instructional staff who self-identify as Hispanic: 44% of full-time and 33% of part-time teachers in these schools are Hispanic. Only 12% of full-time and 13% of part-time teachers in the responding schools not affiliated with TWIN-CS self-identify as Hispanic. All TWIN-CS schools are intentionally committed to improving their staff’s ability to communicate in both English and Spanish. Six of the 10 in this study employ targeted recruitment for bilingual staffing.
The majority of TWIN-CS schools have structures in place to recruit students and provide financial support for those admitted. Seven out of 10 have an enrollment plan and all the schools independently provide need-based tuition assistance. Half reported that Hispanic families also receive non-need-based tuition assistance or scholarships. Additionally, nine of 10 provide support for Hispanic families who want to apply for financial aid. The majority of students in these schools receive some form of tuition assistance, which points to the commitment of these institutions to serve the most needed while running successful operations.
The Difference that TWIN-CS Schools Make
St. Matthew School in Phoenix, AZ
St. Matthew School in Phoenix, AZ, a vibrant institution since 1943, was at a crossroads in 2009: facing only 159 students, closing was a real possibility. Most students were Latino, mirroring the population of the neighborhood, city, and region, but the school was not serving them well. Gena McGowan, the principal, recognized the need for programmatic change. After major discernment, St. Matthew became a two-way immersion (TWI) school. Three things changed. First, all students would learn to read, write, and speak in both English and Spanish. Second, an innovative instructional structure for developing students’ academic content knowledge would be developed. Finally, fostering the building of true community between the native English- speaking students and the native Spanish-speaking students would be a priority.
St. Matthew implemented TWI in kindergarten and added a grade each year. In 2013 they became one of the founding schools of TWIN-CS. Today grades K-6 are all bilingual. The population of the school has grown to over 200 students (25%) and the principal reports “test scores are going up each year.” Students proudly speak two languages, and serve as ambassadors of welcome and encouragement. Families realize that St. Matthew’s bilingual seeds will blossom into an advantage as students move toward higher education.
Risen Christ in Minneapolis, MN
Risen Christ in Minneapolis, MN, advances its mission by the implementation of two-way immersion. During the last decade, the Catholic school’s student population steadily grew in its diversity. In 2013 76% of its students spoke languages other than English as their native tongue. School leaders were intent on finding the best methods to support the academic experiences of students learning English. The search led Risen Christ to apply to the Two-Way Immersion Network for Catholic Schools, which allowed it to reaffirm its commitment to accessibility for all families.
The school launched its first bilingual classroom in 2014. Today children excel as students in Spanish and English. Enrollment has increased 8%. Liz Ramsey, principal at Risen Christ, recently walked into the first grade classroom and observed two students sitting in the reading corner, each with a copy of the same book in Spanish. As they read, one paused and asked the other for help with a Spanish word: “¿Qué es esto?” (What is it?). The other stopped, answered in English, and then together they practiced the Spanish pronunciation before returning to their reading. One of the students is Caucasian and speaks English at home. The other is Ethiopian and speaks Amharic with her family. Both are learning Spanish and English while preparing to become adult leaders in a multilingual and pluralistic world.
Fostering a Welcoming Environment for Hispanic Children and Their Families
Schools deeply grounded in the mission of Catholic education while consistently embracing the realities of today’s diverse student populations will succeed long into the future. Many school leaders in this study demonstrated that it is possible to do this by making intentional efforts to expand curricular, liturgical, and community building practices as their institutions welcome Hispanic families. Aware that appropriate resources and talent are needed to build an inclusive future, these leaders clearly understand that if Catholic schools are to remain vibrant and relevant there is no alternative.
Reimagining Catholic School Cultures
Overall, the data from our research confirms that the Catholic Church and its school communities in the United States continue to lag significantly behind in the process of decisively adjusting to the new Hispanic Catholic student demographics. It is imperative that we transform school environments so that the cultures that shape Church and society in our day joyfully meet and share genuine hospitality. This requires an examination of fundamental—often inherited—working assumptions that student differences are deficits rather than assets. The still-prevalent “deficit mentality” demands that we assess and immediately adjust classroom practices as well as the ways in which we fail to sincerely honor the culture, race, and ethnicity of our students and their families in the life of the school. For instance, instead of having students leave the classroom for “pull-out” or “remedial” programs, we must invest in strategies that affirm students’ differences to keep them included. New attitudes about differences as “gifts” will lead to creative practices that will embrace and incorporate the rich influences of Hispanic cultures in American history, literature, art, prayer life, and liturgies. Language differences will be welcomed and many more U.S. Catholics might even become bilingual.
If our school environments are not truly welcoming, it will be very difficult to celebrate the gift of difference that all students and their families bring to the Catholic educational experience. If Hispanic Catholic families perceive that they are welcomed with all they bring, they will likely look at Catholic schools as a strong option for the education of their children.
Interculturally Competent Approaches to Catholic School Leadership Development
As the Church in the United States becomes increasingly diverse, it is necessary that Catholic school leaders and teachers develop the necessary intercultural competencies to better advance their mission. Arch/diocesan offices and university- based training programs can play a major role in this regard. New teachers and administrators preparing to work in Catholic schools, particularly in contexts where Hispanics and new immigrant
