Arlene Kramer

Arlene Vigil Kramer, EdD
Educator, Advocate for Student Literacy
1938
INDUCTED 2016

Dr. Arlene Kramer has championed bi-lingual, bi-cultural education in Colorado for decades. Her work led to landmark legislation mandating bilingual education programs for all Colorado children for whom English is their second language.

Arlene began her career as a 2nd grade teacher in 1959 at Spann Elementary School in Pueblo where 80 percent of the students had limited English language skills. There, she designed the first bilingual instruction curriculum for elementary students in Colorado– to develop literacy in both English and Spanish. Kramer expanded upon this bi-lingual concept through organizations like the Colorado Association for Bilingual and Bicultural Education (CABBE).

“Students needed to develop depth in English language vocabulary to be able to speak English with their peers, then read and write in their second language.” —Dr. Arlene Vigil Kramer