Information for parents of kids in Mandarin immersion education
We’re up to 396 Mandarin immersion schools in the United States that I’m aware of.
The link is here.
And if any of you happen to be fluent (or at least conversational) in WordPress, I could really use 15 minutes on the phone to figure out why the links in the left hand sidebar no longer work. message me at immersioneducation (at) gmail (dot) com.
Sun Times March 18, 2025
For local families seeking a premier dual-language education, Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) offers an unmatched opportunity. The district’s Dual Language Immersion (DLI) program for Mandarin, housed at Desert Canyon Elementary and Desert Canyon Middle School, is not just an educational experience—it’s a cultural journey that prepares students for a global future.
At Desert Canyon Elementary School, the DLI program follows a 50/50 model, where students split their day between English and Mandarin instruction.
In grades K-3, subjects like Reading, Writing, and Social Studies are taught in English, while Math, Science, and Mandarin Language are taught in Mandarin. By grades 4-5, English instruction shifts to Reading, Writing, and Math, with Science, Social Studies, and Mandarin Language taught in Mandarin.
Please see more here.
By Sophie Sullivan and Alina Ta, CalMatters, Dec. 14, 2025
There is a new cost to hiring an international worker to fill a vital but otherwise vacant position in a California classroom: $100,000.
In September, the Trump administration began requiring American employers to pay a $100,000 sponsorship fee for new H-1B visas, on top of already required visa application fees that amount to $9,500 to $18,800, depending on various factors. These visas allow skilled and credentialed workers in multiple job sectors to stay in the U.S.
Most foreign workers on H-1Bs in California work in the tech sector. But California also relies on H-1B visas to address another issue: a nationwide teacher shortage and a high demand for staff in dual-language education and special education in K-12 districts.
Please read more here.
From: The Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Why are non-migrant families sending their children to bilingual schools?
Nyssa has never been to China.
She hasn’t even stepped foot in Chinatown.
But when the 6-year-old is with friends at school, she speaks Chinese.
“It’s like I know how to speak every language in the world,” she said.
Nyssa studies at a “bilingual school”, where staff and students jump between languages in the classroom and the playground.
Please read more here.
I’m seeing lots of Mandarin programs being cut due to budget deficits, not just in Canada. What’s confounding is that Chinese immersion programs are often oversubscribed, so it would seem you might want to keep them. I don’t know that they’re more expensive that other types of programs, teachers aren’t paid more in most districts for working in bilingual programs. Any thoughts?
By Mike Lloyd
Posted May 13, 2025 6:52 am.
Last Updated May 13, 2025 7:05 am.
As the Burnaby School District faces a $4.2 million budget shortfall for the next school year, a mom is fighting to save programs at her daughter’s elementary school, including Mandarin language education.
The district is considering a broad range of cuts to deal with its deficit, affecting things like elementary band, libraries, advanced learning, and counselling.
Parent Denysa Leung is worried about the Mandarin Language Arts program at Forest Grove Elementary, where her daughter is in Kindergarten.
Please read more here.
Note that the District decided to phase out the Mandarin language program. No new Kindergarten students will be admitted in the 2026-2025 school year.
(click on the link below and you can hear the story)
Emily Feng March 25, 2025
STEVE INSKEEP: When you travel in China – as our team has been doing – you meet a fair number of people who know English. Millions of Chinese citizens have been educated in the United States. They include the top executives of companies, economists, government officials. The president’s daughter attended Harvard University. The flow in the other direction is much smaller, but there is some, even in this time of rising tensions between the world’s two largest economies. So what is it like for Americans who learn the language of a trading partner and rival? NPR’s Emily Feng visited an American elementary school that teaches it.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Anybody want breakfast?
EMILY FENG, BYLINE: It’s Monday morning at the Yu Ying Public Charter School in Washington, D.C.
UNIDENTIFIED STUDENTS: (Speaking Mandarin).
FENG: I hear Mandarin Chinese floating through the hallways of this 700-person school.
Do you want to speak in English or Chinese?
Lukas Wouhib is a 10-year-old student here, and he really wants to speak in Chinese.
(Speaking Mandarin)?
“Why do you like learning Chinese?” I ask him.
LUKAS WOUHIB: (Speaking Mandarin).
FENG: “I like learning Chinese very much because it’s hard,” Wouhib says.
Please read more here.
BY SHIRA TANZER
KTAR News 92.3 FM education solutions reporter
PHOENIX — The Mandarin immersion program at Gavilan Peak School in Anthem is being phased out due to low enrollment, a recurring issue in recent years.
Deer Valley Unified School District Deputy Superintendent Gayle Galligan said a standard kindergarten class is 24-26 kids, and the minimum for an immersion class is 20. But right now, fewer than 10 prospective students are interested in the Mandarin program for the upcoming school year.
“In immersion programs, we go from kindergarten through eighth grade before kids go up into high school,” Galligan said. “If you don’t have a robust kindergarten group of kids over nine years, there is just natural attrition with families moving or making other choices, and so that number in kindergarten tends to dwindle all the way through 8th grade.”
Please read more here.
Mandarin Immersion Parents Council 