New Mexico district eyes Spanish, Navajo dual-language plan

FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) — A school district in New Mexico's Four Corners regions wants to have some students fluent in Spanish or Navajo by the time they graduate from high school. The Daily Times in Farmington reports kindergartners in the Farmington Municipal School District next school year have the chance to enroll in a dual-language program in Spanish or Diné. The Diné class will be taught at Apache Elementary School, while Spanish will be taught at McCormick Elementary School. Superintendent Gene Schmidt says the district hopes to expand the programs to other schools. The first year will feature a 20-student kindergarten class at Apache and another 20-student class at McCormick. By the time the kindergartners reach fourth grade, half of the day's instruction will be taught in Spanish or Diné, and the other half will be in English. ___ Information from: The Daily Times, http://www.daily-times.com