IB & Dual Language

International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program:

Durham Elementary is a magnet International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme campus. All Durham students participate in the IB curriculum. Durham Elementary emphasizes the values of international-mindedness and responsible citizenship, aligning with the IB mission to develop inquiring, knowledgeable, and caring young people.

The IB PYP program at Durham is a school-wide and community-wide initiative. We encourage students to be global thinkers. We nurture students by facilitating their leadership skills at school and in their communities.

The components of the program also include a learner profile. At the end of the school year, all grade levels share their IB Academic Portfolio with their families.

Our students learn increasingly advanced skills in these areas and the culmination of their learning is the fifth grade “Exhibition”. Exhibition requires students to engage in a collaborative, transdisciplinary inquiry process that involves them in identifying, investigating and offering solutions to real-life issues or problems. To learn more or to apply to this program please visit the IB Application Page.

The IB Learner Profile

The Learner Profile describes a list of attributes that promote academic rigor and the establishing of a personal value system leading to international-mindedness. The programme encourages students to become:

Inquirers - We nurture our curiosity, developing skills for inquiry and research. We know how to learn independently and with others. We learn with enthusiasm and sustain our love of learning throughout life.
Knowledgeable - We develop and use conceptual understanding, exploring knowledge across a range of disciplines. We engage with issues and ideas that have local and global significance.
Thinkers - We use critical and creative thinking skills to analyze and take responsible action on complex problems. We exercise initiative in making reasoned, ethical decisions.
Communicators - We express ourselves confidently and creatively in more than one language and in many ways. We collaborate effectively, listening carefully to the perspectives of other individuals and groups.
Principled - We act with integrity and honestly, with a strong sense of fairness and justice, and with respect for the dignity and rights of people everywhere. We take responsibility for our actions and their consequences.
Open-minded - We critically appreciate our own cultures and personal histories, as well as the values and traditions of others. We seek and evaluate a range of points of view, and we are willing to grow from the experience.
Caring - We show empathy, compassion and respect. We have a commitment to service, and we act to make a positive difference in the lives of others and in the world around us.
Risk-takers - We approach uncertainty with forethought and determination; we work independently and cooperatively to explore new ideas and innovative strategies. We are resourceful and resilient in the face of challenges and change.
Balanced- We understand the importance of balancing different aspects of our lives – intellectual, physical, and emotional – to achieve well-being for ourselves and others. We recognize our interdependence with other people and with the world in which we lives.
Reflective - We thoughtfully consider the world and our own ideas and experience. We work to understand our strengths and weaknesses in order to support our learning and personal development.

Dual Language Program:

Durham Elementary school offers the dual language program to students in grades Pre-Kindergarten through 5th grade. The Dual Language Program is both an additive bilingual program for Spanish-speaking students (EL students) and foreign language immersion program for English-speaking students. In Two-Way classrooms, a combination of native Spanish Speakers and native English speakers are taught together in an effort to develop full bilingualism, bi-literacy, and bi-culturalism, for both groups of students.

At Durham Elementary, we implement the 50/50 Dual Language model, which means that 50% of instruction is in English and 50% is in Spanish.If you are interested in the Dual Language Program and are not considered an EL (English Language Learner) please apply through the HISD School Choice Website for a Program Transfer. Applying to the program does not guarantee you a seat in the Dual Language Program even if you are accepted to Durham through the IB program or are zoned to Durham.