UPDATE: I’ve gotten a lot of emails from parents at schools that offer Mandarin instruction around the country, asking about the distinction between immersion and Mandarin classes. First off, these are called FLES (Foreign Language in Elementary School) in education jargon, in case you run into the term. There are a couple of requirement for a…

Parents with kids in Mandarin immersion programs probably noticed that this week involved a lot of talk about the Moon Festival, moon cakes and probably some poetry. For folks who didn’t grow up in families that celebrated what’s properly called the Mid-Autumn Festival, here’s a little background on what your little darlings have been up to. The…

Normally I post positive stories about Mandarin immersion. But this is so heartbreaking. A young Mandarin immersion teacher in North Carolina was shot in during a robbery. The community is rallying to help bring her family from China to say good-bye to her before she’s taken off life support. My prayers go out to the…

Hint: Don’t have a theoretical “first come, first served” enrollment process but really let the principal pick and choose who gets to attend, resulting in almost entirely white classes while Black and Hispanic families mysteriously never get in. Selection process at Forest Hills saw lack of minorities in popular school program By Adam Wagner StarNews Staff WILMINGTON,…

As incoming Kinder parents begin to think about how this Mandarin immersion thing they’ve signed up for is actually going to work, many programs around the nation are getting them a copy of A Parent’s Guide to Mandarin Immersion as a one-stop reading guide to language immersion. Both schools and parent associations have purchased copies for their…

A great overview of Canada’s Mandarin immersion landscape. It’s remarkable that 43% of the greater Vancouver area in British Columbia is Asian-Canadian, and yet it has only three small program. Edmonton, in Alberta, by contrast has a vibrant and large immersion program. Also check out the stories at the end by the dad whose daughter…

The issues faced by this successful program in Orange County, Calif. are mirrored by many programs when they reach middle school, where things become less clear cut and placement looms large. No word yet on where the program will land. – Beth CUSD Board Votes to Reconsider Mandarin immersion Program Policy by Dana Point Times on June…