No matter the name, it is still a madrassa.
Via EAG News
About 130 Houston student will attend a new Arabic immersion school next year, where they will learn to speak Arabic as they learn “to be truly global citizens.”
“With kids who learn Arabic, as a parent you’re going to set them up for success, as a teacher you’re going to challenge them to do the best they can, but that skill of learning Arabic and being fluent in it really can be life-changing for a Houston kid,” Kate Adams, the principal of Houston Independent School District’s Arabic Immersion Magnet School, told Houston Public Media.
“In addition to the students being fully functionally bilingual in Arabic and English, the bigger goal for me is that I want our students to be truly global citizens,” she said. “And so that doesn’t just mean language fluency or cultural fluency. It’s kind of how you look at the world and how you interact with the world.”
Click 2 Houston reports Arabic is the second most common foreign language spoken by Houston students, presumably behind Spanish. The school is scheduled to launch next year with two pre-kindergarten classes focused on Modern Standard Arabic. Officials plan to add a new grade level each year until those students reach fifth grade.
“Houston is one of the world’s leading energy capitals and it has strong economic ties to the Middle East,” HISD Superintendent Terry Grier said in a statement. “Those factors combine to create a significant demand in our city for Arabic language fluency – and we want to meet that demand.”
Amy Crouser told HPM she applied for one of the high demand slot at the Arabic immersion school and is thrilled her son was accepted. There were three applications for students for every one of the 130 spots for year one.
Crouser said her family has no ties to the Middle East, but picked the school over the district’s Spanish or Chinese immersion programs because it’s something unique.
HT: Cheechakos