Mandarin Immersion Parents Council

The Oregonian, June 23, 2010

By Dave Porter

Some local school districts, boards and administrators are holding back development of foreign language immersion programs necessary for Oregon’s economic future.

There are two current examples: the West Linn-Wilsonville School Board recently canceled tits 1-year-old Spanish immersion program, while Portland Public Schools failed again this year to expand either its Mandarin or Japanese immersion programs in spite of parent demand sufficient for at least another classroom in each case.

This year PPS’s Japanese immersion program at Richmond had 118 qualified applicants for 71 kindergarten slots next year, leaving out 47-plus others who missed mandatory meetings. At 25 per class at Richmond, that’s almost two additional classrooms. At the Mandarin immersion at Woodstock, there were 94 qualified applicants for 60 slots next year, leaving out 34-plus of those missing mandatory meetings. At 30 per class at Woodstock, there were enough children for another classroom. Similar demand-to-supply situations have existed in each of the past five years.

Oregon needs these foreign language immersion programs to grow.

Read the rest of the article here.