Our students are taught to read, write, and understand their lessons in Spanish and in English, and many of our bilingual teachers and support staff are dually certified.

More than 95 percent of Escuela Vieau families are of Hispanic or Latino descent, and more than 60 percent of our students are learning English as their second language. Our program does not replace Spanish with English. It promotes academic achievement and biliteracy, and our school community encourages students to understand and appreciate many cultures.

Students with a Spanish-speaking background use their primary language and English as they learn a second language through this three-step program:

• Students develop speaking and listening skills, build their vocabulary and an understanding of what words mean, and learn how to process lessons in literacy, math, and other content areas.
• Students learn to recognize what is the same and what is different in the two languages, that language can be used in different ways, and that words and sentences can have more than one meaning.
• Students are given meaningful ways to use both languages equally to enhance learning.

For more information on having your child screened and enrolled in bilingual multicultural education, please contact the Lau Compliance Center at (414) 475-8525.

Learn more about Milwaukee Public Schools’ bilingual and dual-language programs.