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Global Prep’s success in Spanish

How an Indianapolis school is compounding culture

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At Global Prep Academy in Indianapolis, children enthusiastically practice their Spanish, immersed in a dynamic curriculum that fosters cultural appreciation. By combining engaging lessons and interactive activities, the school is empowering young learners to embrace new linguistic horizons beyond the traditional classroom expectations. 

The dual-language modeled curriculum at Global Prep means that students are instructed in both Spanish and English starting from Pre-K through 8th grade. The school opened in 2016 and has several models for parents to choose from regarding how much Spanish is utilized throughout the day. 

young student from Global Prep Academy stands with her teacher in cultural garb
The students at Global Prep Academy learn about the culture of Spanish-speaking countries. (Photo/Global Prep Academy)

ā€œWe are talking about the formative years in a personā€™s life,ā€ founder and CEO Dr. Mariama Shaheed said. ā€œI think (learning Spanish at a young age) sets you up for a different life experience.ā€ 

Global Prep offers three models: the 50:50 model where half of instruction is Spanish and the other English, the 75-25 dual program model where 75% is in English and 25% is Spanish and the FLEX program, which allows students the opportunity to learn Spanish in their specials class or daily in the middle school program.  

ā€œLearning another language opens doors to better opportunities in the global society that we are living in,ā€ said Liset Gonzalez-Acosta, dual language director at Global Prep. ā€œIt enhances problem solving skills and bilingual people are to have more elasticity in the brain when it comes to problem solving.ā€ 

Aside from learning the language, students also learn about Hispanic culture. 

 ā€œ(The students) are in an experience every day thatā€™s linguistically and culturally diverse,ā€ Shaheed said. 

Shaheed studied Spanish in school but really became fluent following a study abroad trip when she began teaching. 

ā€œWhat happened in that immersive experience is that I came back speaking fluently,ā€ Shaheed said. ā€œI saw the value in connecting through communication.ā€ 

children from global prep academy gather
The dual-language experience at Global Prep includes both language and culture. (Photo/Global Prep Academy)

While Shaheed maintains that learning Spanish at a young age opens opportunities for students, she understands that parents may be apprehensive. 

ā€œI think one of the challenges is that the research shows that the long-term effects create opportunities ā€¦ a lot of the parents and families arenā€™t thinking that far ahead.ā€ Shaheed said. 

Many parents worry about comparing reading scores to schools where English is the primary teaching language, and when they see that another child may be processing faster in a single language, sometimes parents can become worried their child isnā€™t as proficient.  

Shaheed said there is a balance that needs to be weighed. 

ā€œWe deeply believe that the long-term benefits outweigh the challenges,ā€ Shaheed said.  

Daniele Ward-Robinson, parent of a fifth grader at Global Prep, said she is satisfied with her decision to send her daughter to the school, despite the worry the challenge may be too much. 

ā€œOnce I saw the culture, I said ā€˜Well, letā€™s see how it works,ā€™ā€ Ward-Robinson said. ā€œShe hopped right onto it.ā€ 

Ward-Robinson says her daughter adjusted quickly to the curriculum and the change in language and culture. 

ā€œTheyā€™re like sponges,ā€ Ward-Robinson said. ā€œThe more you teach them, the more they pick it up. Us parents, sometimes we have to take a step back and give them that chance.ā€ 

Despite the worries for the future, Ward-Robinson agrees with Shaheed about the benefits. 

ā€œI am so happy that I stuck with it,ā€ Ward-Robinson said. 

Shaheedā€™s goal for the future is to encourage more Black families to join Global Preparatory Academy. Right now, the school sits at 35%, but Shaheedā€™s goal is 50%.  

ā€œWe are not a school only for Spanish-speakers,ā€ Shaheed said. ā€œWe really want to recruit more African American students ā€¦ Our goal is to develop leaders.ā€ 

For more information about Global Prep Academy, visit globalprepindy.org

Click to read more education stories here.

Contact Health & Environmental Reporter Hanna Rauworth at 317-762-7854 or follow her on Instagram at @hanna.rauworth. 

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