More on Wisconsin possibly losing its one Mandarin immersion program

From Madison.com

Dear Editor: We are deeply troubled by the Verona School Board’s proposal to eliminate the Verona Area International School. This Mandarin immersion school is an incredible feather in the cap for the district and it provides tremendous value for the community. Any student can attend, and this school represents a fantastic way for parents to provide language education for their young children at no additional cost.

Mandarin education and language fluency is incredibly important. Mandarin is spoken by over 1 billion people and is the most widely spoken first language in the world. The economy of China continues to expand and having Mandarin speakers within our community to compete in a global economy increases the chances of successful business and other professional interactions.

Many forward-thinking states are pushing for Chinese language education as they see it as a way to improve their chances of increasing business partnerships with Chinese industry.

Chinese culture is over 5,000 years old and offers a different perspective than our standard Eurocentric worldview.

Please read more here.