Risen Christ Catholic School prepares to launch new TWO-WAY immersion learning

Risen Christ Catholic School (RCCS), a 310-student, K-8 grade school located in the Powderhorn Park area of Minneapolis, has just graduated its 8th-grade class.  But it has been preparing for 2014 fall classes for two years, when the school will begin TWO-WAY immersion teaching, which builds cultural competency and prepares students as tomorrow’s leaders.  

Beginning this fall, RCCS’s program -- the first TWO-WAY immersion Catholic school in Minnesota -- is an innovative model that delivers the classroom curriculum in two languages, English and Spanish.  Seventy-seven percent of RCCS students are Latino. 

TWO-WAY immersion school models have been nationally recognized as the most effective approach to bilingual education.  At RCCS, classes will mix native English speaking students with peers who speak Spanish, allowing both groups of students to become bilingual.  TWO-WAY immersion schools prepare all students to be bilingual and biliterate in an increasingly diverse world, while deeply respecting the languages, identities, and cultures of all students.

Although 95 percent of RCCS’s 2014 8th-grade graduating class lives in poverty, and 70 percent are English language learners, the school has delivered an impressive 56-percent proficiency in reading and 43-percent proficiency in math.

“We are extremely proud of our school and our students,” said Liz Ramsey, principal of RCCS.  “These high results are quite an accomplishment, particularly when compared to an 8th-grade proficiency rate of 20 percent in reading and 27 percent in math at the nearest public school with similar demographics.”

In addition, two RCCS students were named Presidential Scholars at De LaSalle for their outstanding academics and placement exam scores.

Risen Christ Catholic School (www.risenchristschool.org) is located at 1120 E 37th St, Minneapolis.