Scarborough Elementary’s Two-Language Model Has Fostered Bilingualism For Over a Decade. Now, That Mission Expands Across HISD.

Out of the 14 years she has led the campus, Principal Miriam Medina said the friendship of now fifth graders Marlee and Fernanda most strongly illustrates the impact of Scarborough Elementary School’s Dual Language program. 

As four-year-olds, the two girls spoke different dominant languages. Marlee, who spoke mostly English, wanted to invite Fernanda, who primarily spoke Spanish, on a playdate. Without the words to express it, she shaped a house with her hands.

Over the years, the two became inseparable and eventually reached bilingual proficiency together. 

Fernanda (left) and Marlee (right) became best friends by teaching each other Spanish and English.

“When we were in preK and tried to talk to each other, we used signs with our hands. Sometimes our teacher could help us,” Marlee said. “As we learned more English and Spanish, we could communicate even more.”

Today, they switch between the two languages and have vowed to continue their friendship even as they attend different middle schools. Medina said that their mutual support for each other shows how language learning fosters empathy, collaboration, and lifelong relationships. 

“When you hear them talk, it warms your heart. You know it’s working,” Medina said. “Part of learning two languages is dissolving those barriers and becoming a better community.” 

For the past 11 years, Scarborough Elementary has paired Spanish and English-speaking students together to learn from each other with the guidance of specialized teachers. At the campus, full bilingual immersion begins in preK and continues through fifth grade, with the goal of developing bilingual proficiency by the end of the program.

The campus is a model in Houston ISD’s recent expansion of Dual Language curriculum from 47 to 105 campuses in the last three years.

Schools that are opening with Dual Language programs typically phase in the curriculum grade-by-grade, starting at preK or Kindergarten, until the entire school is Dual Language. Officials say that what motivates the expansion is the research-backed benefits for the global community HISD serves. 

“We are valuing our students' first language and also helping them grow in their second language,” HISD’s Executive Director of Multilingual Programs Sonya Monreal said. “Bilingualism offers lot of opportunities everywhere you go, but especially here in Houston.” 

 

How it Works 

Dual Language campuses seek to cultivate bilingual students by splitting the class times evenly between English and another language. By starting students as early as preK, the goal is to achieve academic and social bilingual proficiency by the time they reach fifth grade. 

Principal Miriam Medina (centered) is pictured with Scarborough's fifth graders at lunch.

At HISD, most Dual Language courses split with 50% of the core content taught in Spanish, though non-Spanish programs include the Mandarin Immersion Magnet School and Arabic Immersion Magnet School.

Many newer Dual Language campuses largely serve emergent bilingual students whose primary language is Spanish. Other campuses, like Scarborough Elementary, have an even mix of English and Spanish speakers, allowing a buddy system where students with complimentary language proficiencies help each other during the day.  

Teachers at these campuses are prepared to help students from all language backgrounds by providing visual aids, word banks, and linguistic cognates.  

While Scarborough's Nadra Dennis teaches entirely in English, the knowledge of Spanish she has accumulated through her 10-year career at the campus and her English as Second Language (ESL) certification has better prepared her to help students on-the-spot. 

“My job is to close that language gap for students to be able to absorb the content in English and in Spanish,” said Dennis. 

A Model for A World-Class City  

For many staff members at Scarborough, the value of Dual Language education is personal. 

Teacher Daniela Popoca grew up in a Spanish-speaking household and participated in school ESL programs that gradually transitioned her away from Spanish-language support and toward English-only instruction.

Over time, she began to lose some of her ability to speak Spanish—a language-loss trend experienced by many English learners as they grow older.

That experience motivated Popoca to pursue a degree in bilingual education at the University of Houston. 

“Now, watching my students learn English and Spanish, I can see how they're going to grow and not lose their native language or not feel like they have to leave it behind just because there's a new language they have to learn."

Parent-volunteer Melody Crowson grew up in south Houston without learning Spanish, leaving her feeling limited in a city where multiple languages and cultures intersect every day.

When it came time to choose an educational path for her daughter, she wanted an education that would expand possibilities for her daughter, who now switches between Spanish and English at school, at the park playground, and at church after two years at the campus.  

Scarborough’s mission won her over “in minutes.”

“Anybody being limited to one language is really at a disadvantage when you live in a place like Houston,” Crowson said. “I think it’s really just good for setting up for success for not just job opportunities, but to be able to communicate with the community.”

District data also points to stronger academic outcomes for students who participate in bilingual programs. 

Across all high school End-of-Course exams—Algebra I, Biology, English I and II, and U.S. History—between 83% and 94% of formally Emergent Bilingual students met grade-level standards, compared with between 50% and 71% of students who were never classified as Emergent Bilingual.

The long-term impact of bilingual education is also reflected at graduation. According to a district report, 47% of HISD’s valedictorians and 50% of salutatorians in the Class of 2025 were current or former Emergent Bilinguals.

Beyond acquiring a new language, the model gives students the opportunity to deepen the language they already know while opening the door to new ways of learning. For Iktan, a Scarborough third grader, what makes the campus special is finding new ways to understand the world. 

“It’s good to speak both languages because I can learn more in both,” he said. “This school gives us perfect attention so we can learn more.”