ABSTRACT

Washington Elementary School is a small Spanish-immersion charter school located in a suburban area outside of a mid-sized metropolitan western city. The city’s political climate is not welcoming to alternative educational arrangements. The school has been in operation for about five years after being established by a community of parents who wanted a language immersion option for their children. The school began with about 50 children, grades 1st through 5th, and it has since grown to over 200 children, grades 1st through 8th.