The Hmong Language and Culture program is designed to give all students the opportunity to learn the Hmong language, culture, and literacy during the school day. Students participate in classes that focus on various aspects of Hmong culture and develop literacy in the Hmong language. The program aims to give students more confidence, cultural understanding, and strong language foundations that will aid learning in other content areas.

Additive or enrichment programs such as the Hmong Language and Culture Program develop students’ first language while helping them to gain proficiency in English. Research shows that developing students’ native language can accelerate their academic growth, helping to narrow the achievement gap between ELLs and their native English-speaking classmates. Research also shows that students who can read and write in more than one language and students who have literacy in their first language outscore their monolingual English-speaking peers on standardized tests.

Hmong Language and Culture is available for students in grades 6-12 at the following schools:

• Battle Creek Middle
• Hmong Language and Culture at Parkway
• Washington Technology
• Harding Senior High