TWBI Expands to Horace Mann Elementary

For more than 30 years, San José Unified has been helping students become bilingual and biliterate through Two-Way Bilingual Immersion (TWBI) programs. This school year, that opportunity is expanding to a new community. At Horace Mann Elementary, a new program is bringing together native Spanish speakers and native English speakers to learn side by side, developing academic skills and language proficiency in both Spanish and English– making it the ninth school to offer TWBI at San José Unified. The program currently serves 157 Horace Mann students, with the youngest grades already demonstrating strong demand.

The launch is also an exciting opportunity to emerge from the Schools of Tomorrow process. After a year of difficult conversations about declining enrollment, school consolidations, and the future of elementary education across the district, the 2026-2027 school year is bringing new opportunities for students and families, including expanded access to TWBI in the heart of downtown San José.

TWBI is designed around a simple but powerful idea: students can learn another language while learning their grade-level academic content. In a typical TWBI classroom, approximately half of the students are native Spanish speakers, and half are native English speakers. Instruction is provided in both languages, one language at a time, giving students meaningful opportunities to listen, speak, read, and write in Spanish and English. Over the course of the program, students work toward fluency and literacy in both languages while mastering academic content and developing an appreciation for other cultures and perspectives. For native Spanish-speaking students, the program provides an opportunity to maintain and strengthen their home language while developing English proficiency. For native English speakers, it creates an authentic environment in which they can develop Spanish alongside classmates who already speak it.

Ramon Sanchez, San José Unified’s Manager of Elementary Curriculum and Instruction, said balance is one reason Horace Mann is such a strong location for the program. “Horace Mann is perfect because there is a demand and the ability to bring in more native Spanish speakers, which makes it so great,” Sanchez said. That opportunity is particularly significant because access to TWBI had previously been more concentrated in other parts of the district. Sanchez noted that the district struggled to expand and fill classes for the TWBI program at its previous location, Gardner Elementary, while families in downtown San José looked for an opportunity closer to home. “More kids have access to this program in the heart of downtown San José,” Sanchez said. “Because of the community that is already there, we have access to more Spanish models for the program, which aligns really well with Horace Mann and the PYP learning framework at IB schools.”

The new TWBI program isn't simply an additional program at Horace Mann. The school's existing International Baccalaureate (IB) philosophy emphasizes curiosity, global perspectives, and understanding different cultures. For Principal Art Gonzalez, that connection makes the program especially meaningful. “The TWBI program complements our IB principles, particularly our emphasis on world cultures and languages,” Gonzalez said. “Learning another language gives students a broader window into the world and helps them develop curiosity, open-mindedness, and an appreciation for perspectives that may be different from their own.”

Gonzalez knows the value of TWBI firsthand. Before becoming principal at Horace Mann, he worked at a TWBI school, giving him a personal understanding of the program and its benefits. His experience also helped build enthusiasm and understanding among Horace Mann staff as the new program took shape. Sanchez said that staff members with children enrolled in TWBI programs at other San José Unified schools also helped advocate for the program and share their experiences with colleagues and families. That community support has translated into excitement on campus. “The response from our Horace Mann families and school community has been very positive,” Gonzalez said. “There is a great deal of excitement about the opportunities that the TWBI program will provide for our students.”

The addition of TWBI comes at an important moment for Horace Mann and for San José Unified. During the 2025-2026 school year, the district undertook the Schools of Tomorrow process to address declining enrollment and plan proactively for the future. Beginning in September 2025 and concluding with Board of Education action on March 26, 2026, the process included extensive public discussion and input from parents, guardians, teachers, and staff. The resulting school consolidations and attendance boundary changes were difficult for many members of the San José Unified community. The district has spent the months since the Board’s decision focused on supporting impacted students, families, and employees and creating strong foundations for the 2026-2027 school year.

The TWBI program adds another dimension to that growth. “The launch of TWBI is a wonderful opportunity for Horace Mann to build something positive and forward-looking together,” Gonzalez said. “While change can bring uncertainty, it can also create opportunities for growth and innovation.” For Horace Mann, that opportunity is taking shape through language, culture and community.

Families sometimes have understandable questions when considering a two-way immersion program. English-speaking families may wonder how they can support homework when they don't speak Spanish at home. Spanish-speaking families may worry that learning primarily in two languages could make English more difficult for their children. Sanchez said that the immersion model is designed precisely to address those concerns. “This is the best-case scenario for both because you are immersed in it fully,” he said. “Kids can seamlessly switch and learn through immersion.”

That immersion begins early. The program's TK and kindergarten classes are currently full, while enrollment in the upper grades is smaller as the program gets established. Sanchez expects those numbers to change as students progress through the grades. Because students build their academic language foundation early, families are encouraged to commit to the program long term. TWBI participants and their families are expected to remain in the program from kindergarten through fifth grade to fully benefit from the model. The result is more than the ability to have a conversation in another language. Students develop academic vocabulary, literacy, and content knowledge in both languages.

The launch of TWBI at Horace Mann also gives more families in the downtown area access to a program that has been in demand across San José Unified. Sanchez said that some families have been asking about TWBI for years, including families hoping to enroll older elementary students. Because students need time to develop the academic language skills that allow them to learn increasingly complex content in both languages, entering the program in later grades can be challenging. That makes the expansion to Horace Mann particularly meaningful for families with younger children. The program's location in downtown San José adds another important dimension. “I'm excited for families to have access to such a great program and really highlight the multicultural opportunities in downtown San Jose,” Sanchez said.

For Gonzalez, the long-term vision is equally ambitious. “I am most excited to see our students become confident bilingual and biliterate learners who are proud of their accomplishments and their identities,” he said. “I look forward to seeing students communicate across languages, develop an appreciation for different cultures, and build connections with one another.”

The first year of TWBI at Horace Mann is just the beginning. As students move through the grades, the program is expected to grow alongside them. More families will have the opportunity to participate, more students will develop academic proficiency in two languages, and the program will become an increasingly important part of the school's identity. For a community navigating significant change, that growth represents something worth celebrating. “TWBI gives us another opportunity to live out the IB belief that languages and cultures help us better understand ourselves, one another, and the world around us,” Gonzalez said. “This is just the beginning, and I am excited about what we will accomplish together.”

After a challenging year of planning and transition, Horace Mann is beginning a new chapter — one that allows students to see the world through more than one language and more than one perspective. In a school community committed to developing internationally minded learners, that is a promising way to begin.

Interested in learning more about TK-5 TWBI options across San José Unified? Visit bit.ly/4y25ptI to sign up for an info session.