Public charter school immersion network burgeoning in Colorado Springs

There’s foreign language class, and then there’s foreign language immersion.

There’s a big difference.

At most schools, students learn to speak, read and write in a second language for one class period a few times a week.

At Global Village Academy, up to 95 percent of a student’s day is spent learning about reading, writing, math, history, science and other subjects in a second language.

Students comprehend the material quickly, said the assistant principal of the Colorado Springs campus, Alicia Welch, because teachers use demonstrative gestures, facial expressions, intonation, photos and other nontraditional and engaging actions.

“It is amazing to see how well the kids do with the program,” she said.

If growth of the public charter school network is any measure, it’s a popular idea.

Global Village Academy’s first location opened six years ago in Aurora with 200 students. It now has 1,200. A campus in Northglenn opened two years ago with 230 students and this school year has 750.