By Ruoxi Zhao
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Bellevue School District is expanding its bilingual education offerings, introducing new programs designed to meet the needs of its multicultural student body, according to administrators in the district.
With two schools participating in the program now, it has become so popular that the district is looking to expand to more classrooms, according to Dr. Hanna Hong, the Bilingual Program Developer and Researcher for the district.
The expansion makes sense in a school district where over 42% of students speak a first language other than English.
Recognizing the value of linguistic diversity, the district sought to create programs that both celebrate and sustain students’ home languages, Hong said. Bellevue School District’s bilingual program grew out of community and parent advocacy, as well as funding support from the state government, she added.
The Bellevue School District offers diverse bilingual programs that reflect the community’s multicultural makeup, including Arabic, Korean, and Hindi. Alongside these bilingual offerings, the district also provides dual-language programs in Mandarin and Spanish, as well as world language classes in Japanese and French. With students representing 117 countries and over 100 languages spoken at home, these programs not only extend the language curriculum, but also provide students with an opportunity to embrace diversity and build cultural identity, thus laying the foundation for their future global life, Hong said.
The original Arabic program at Bellevue School District was initiated by parents.
“There were some parent communities that approached our school district and wanted to talk a little bit about a potential Arabic program because so many of them have Arabic as their home language,” Hong said.
Hong also noted that the Heritage Language Program of the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction provided a grant to help the Bellevue School District develop this innovative program.
Following the implementation of the Arabic program, the school district gradually expanded into languages such as Korean and Hindi to better serve the local multicultural student population, according to Hong. She also noted that both programs were based on the large number of Korean and Indian students in the district.
“We have a huge Korean population and a huge Indian American population. They speak many, as you know, diverse languages in India, but Hindi is their national language,” Hong said.
The role of the community and parents in the design of the project is crucial, Hong said. She highlighted how parental feedback shapes the structure of the curriculum.
“We asked a lot about what are your hopes and dreams for your kids, why do you want them to learn this language, and what other things are important to you beyond the language?” Hong said.
This collaborative model ensures that the curriculum not only teaches the language, but also preserves students’ connection to their culture and family, she added.
In addition to community feedback, the bilingual program has a unique structure at the elementary level. The program typically provides 60 to 90 minutes of bilingual instruction per day, focusing primarily on social-emotional learning and language arts in the target language.
Although students receive formal bilingual instruction only part of the day, teachers naturally integrate language learning into other subjects. Hong explained that there are dedicated time slots for language instruction. However, the full-time teachers are responsible for teaching all subjects, allowing students to make connections between English and their target language throughout the day. This integration ensures that students not only learn the target language, but also see the relevance of the language in their overall education.
Hong mentioned that when young children participate in a bilingual program, it can have a ripple effect on the rest of the family. She shared an example where younger siblings, after enrolling in the program, began speaking the home language, which then inspired their older siblings — who had never spoken it before — to start learning the language as well. This, in turn, encouraged the entire family to reconnect with their heritage language, Hong said.
“The kids are just so excited. The high schoolers were sharing, ’It’d be really cool to have a class where we did a little bit of history, culture, food, news and geography in all Arab words.’ They really wanted to see the connections among all of them, not feel like they were separate,” Hong said.
Youngsoo Kang, a Korean American, has children in the Bellevue School District’s Korean bilingual program. Kang said the program not only helps children use Korean more confidently, but also eases language anxiety as they transition into the U.S. education system.
A Korean Language Program class at Newport Heights Elementary School
“My child was so happy to be able to speak Korean at school,” Kang said.
While most instruction is in English, students spend time each day learning Korean with a Korean-speaking teacher, providing them with a familiar language environment.
“Even other kindergarten teachers use some Korean words, and Korean signs are posted throughout the school. This support makes my child feel more natural and connected at school,” Kang said.
Kang added that the bilingual program is not limited to language learning, it also involves Korean and Asian cultural education, including New Year’s celebrations and Korean writing festivals. Though it is traditionally a Chinese holiday, Lunar New Year is celebrated across other Asian cultures, giving children a broader understanding of Asian cultural diversity, Kang said.
“This program allows my child to maintain his cultural identity without feeling disconnected in an Americanized education system,” Kang said.
Kang’s experience reflects a common feeling among many families who participate in the bilingual program. It not only helps students build a sense of cultural identity inside and outside the classroom, but also allows family members to find empathy in the language and culture.
“The bilingual program is the cornerstone of the district’s commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion. It ensures that students from diverse linguistic backgrounds receive an education that values their home languages and cultures,” said Janine Thorn, the Chief Communications and Engagement Officer of Bellevue School District.
“The district measures the success of bilingual programs in a number of ways, including improved language skills, academic performance, and increased cultural identity,” Thorn said. “These programs not only support students academically but also help them make progress in cultural diversity and inclusion.”
Hong sees a broader significance of bilingual education.
“Language is not just about communication; it’s about culture, identity, and the way students connect with their families and heritage,” she said.
Going forward, the district plans to expand the bilingual program, not only to introduce more language classes, but also to cover more grades, Hong said.
Thorn mentioned that many of the students who participated in the program showed significant growth and confidence in their bilingual learning, which also played a positive role in their overall educational experience.
“Bilingualism is a superpower,” said Bellevue School District Superintendent Dr. Kelley Aramaki in a school blog post.