Lexington has turned to its education system to provide support for its Hispanic immigrant community by implementing dual-immersion schooling
Mihir Kale, Spring 2025
Lexington, Kentucky has increasingly become a hub for immigrant communities, with more than 185 different languages spoken in the city (VisitLex). By far, the largest demographic are immigrants from Spanish-speaking countries (Stacker). Spanish-speaking immigrants have contributed significantly to the cultural fabric of the city, establishing ethnic enclaves such as “Mexington,” where Hispanic culture and community have flourished thousands of miles from their original homes. These feats have not come easily—immigrant communities often struggle to overcome a formidable language barrier, find difficulty integrating into unfamiliar communities, and lack institutional representation. To address these challenges, Lexington has turned to its education system to provide support for its Hispanic immigrant community by implementing dual-immersion schooling.
Defined as “bilingual education in which students are taught literacy and content through two languages,” dual-immersion education in Lexington attempts to ameliorate the challenges Spanish-speaking students face (FCPS, Maxwell). The Kentucky Hispanic Heritage Project (KHHP) conducted oral history interviews at Maxwell Elementary School—where many staff hail from Spanish-speaking countries and teach in the language—to better understand dual-immersion’s efficacy. At Maxwell, half of the day is taught in Spanish and the other half in English. This method works to reinforce content taught in Spanish with new English language skills. Through our conversations with three Maxwell instructors, we discovered that dual-immersion programming was uniquely capable of helping students overcome challenges regarding language acquisition, sense of belonging, and representation.
Language-barrier challenges are two-fold: students are tasked with learning a new language, while simultaneously being taught academic content in this new language. This has been a common challenge for the instructors themselves, who all shared that the language barrier was the most daunting challenge they faced upon settling in Lexington. Maxwell Elementary’s programming works to overcome these barriers by integrating second-language acquisition and class content. One instructor noted that “The dual program…creates a student to be, to analyze things better…it’s not only that they have to create the concept in their mind, which is already abstract, but then they’re listening in a second language.” Another instructor found that “maintaining the two languages, one can maintain their own language and be educated in another, in English, neurologically it opens up a lot more opportunities.” Dual-immersion programs ultimately facilitates the communication that helps students overcome the language barrier.
Similarly, dual-immersion empowers students in their new communities and creates a sense of belonging. The Spanish language acts as a shared cultural trait throughout the school’s community. This helps students feel more connected with one another, and more comfortable with their own identity in a novel environment. Instructors observed that “in general, the Hispanic students…are integrated and appreciated by their peers, they have opportunities and seem happy.” Another added that her students often mention feeling “so free because [they] feel like [they] can talk to anyone, whether they speak Spanish or not,” and being “just ready to learn about their country,” demonstrating a sense of comfort in both their new community and cultural heritage.
Students’ sense of belonging is often reinforced by representation among school staff at dual-immersion schools. Each instructor we spoke with mentioned their students’ tendency to repress their heritage as a response to prior persecution or a perceived pressure to speak English as a measure of success. Dual-immersion programs provide the safe-space needed to empower students’ identities by having Spanish-speaking instructors in role model positions and teaching students about their culture. One instructor mentioned that the school’s diversity helps students subvert stereotypes asserted about Hispanic immigrants, while another mentioned exposure to teachers from various nationalities taught them about cultural identity beyond a shared language.
The instructors’ narratives at Maxwell reaffirm the efficacy of dual-immersion programming in addressing many of the hurdles that Hispanic students face. By providing the cultural and material support that Spanish-speaking students require to integrate into their new community, Maxwell’s dual-immersion program facilitates equity in the education system. As migration to Lexington and the country increases, dual-immersion programming will continue to empower students and develop a sense of belonging in both their new communities and original cultural identities.
