Indigenous and World language instruction in Saint Paul Public Schools is designed to facilitate genuine interaction with others. Students learn to communicate with people in other languages and cultures in a variety of settings, look beyond their customary borders, and develop insight into their own language and culture. Research indicates that the process of studying another language gives students a cognitive boost in other subject areas, enabling them to perform at higher levels.

SPPS offers 10 indigenous and world languages for students through a variety of programs: Dakota/Lakota, Ojibwe, Hmong, Chinese, French, German, Latin, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish.  IWL partners closely with Immersion/Dual Immersion to offer language learning at a variety of scales and to provide Seal of Biliteracy assessments.