Korean-English Two-Way Immersion Program

In 1991, Russell Campbell and UCLA Korean scholars initiated discussions with administrators at various levels in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) to propose a Korean/English dual language program. (1991-1995)

With support from a grant from the US Department of Education, this Center was responsible for the creation and ongoing evaluation of the dual language program, located at five elementary schools in the Koreatown area of Los Angeles. The program attracts a mix of students whose home languages range from Korean to English to Spanish and even Tagalog.

A key design feature in this program was that the majority of instruction, to both Korean and non-Korean children, would be in Korean, with the goal of having both groups of children acquire literacy and academic proficiency in Korean. The success of the program has led directly to the recognition and inclusion of dual language programs in the LAUSD District Master Plan for the education of English language learners.

Published: Tuesday, October 11, 2005