The North Central Educational Laboratory and the Chicago Public Schools (1992) describe the cultural relevance program at Kanoon Magnet School:
"At Kanoon, English-proficient students are taught Spanish, and Spanish-proficient students learn English and continue to develop skills in their native tongue. Messages on brightly colored bulletin boards are written in both languages, and children are encouraged to use Spanish when conversing with teachers, 71 percent of whom are bilingual. Kanoon's maintenance bilingual education program goes beyond Illinois' law requiring transitional bilingual education, a three-year program for only Spanish-proficient students to become English-proficient. All Kanoon students participate in bilingual education. Kanoon is 75 percent Hispanic, 15 percent nonminority, and 10 percent African-American, Asian, or other.
Kanoon has 27 classrooms--3 classrooms of each grade. Teachers and students have one period per day called 'specials,' which is a preparation period for teachers and an integration time for students. The three teachers in each grade level have professional preparation together. During 'specials,' Spanish-proficient and English-proficient students heterogeneously grouped by grade, go to art, music, and physical education together. They are not grouped by ability, and all students have the opportunity to use Spanish in meaningful ways. As part of Kanoon's international studies program, students learn about the cultures and history of nations around the world in both Spanish and English." (p. 22)
