Mandarin Immersion Parents Council

The Miami Herald just published an article about Mandarin immersion…

School teaches in English, Mandarin

A new bilingual English/Mandarin school has opened in South Miami, following a national trend of Mandarin immersion programs across the country

By Jared Goyette

Beth was quoted and the MIPC got a mention.  Here is an excerpt…

Elizabeth Weiss, president of the Mandarin Immersion Parents Council in San Francisco, said about 30 schools have popped up around the country as the demand for Mandarin immersion programs has grown. Additionally, the U.S. State Department has made grants available to schools that teach “critical languages,” such as Mandarin.

“There has been this real boom starting six or seven years ago, and I think what’s pushing it is the realization that teaching children languages when they’re young, it’s like second nature. They just pick it up,” she said. “If you stick a child in a room where the teacher only speaks Mandarin to them, that child is going to speak Mandarin.”

Weiss said Mandarin immersion programs have been particularly popular with parents who speak a second language, as they know the value of speaking more than one language.

Click here for the full article.