Dr. Ranells’ recent decision to cancel the Mandarin Chinese Immersion program at Gateway Elementary will be an incredible loss for West Ada School District families and the Treasure Valley. Her decision eliminates a unique opportunity for our children to master skills that will position them to succeed in a global workforce and to grow Idaho businesses…

Parents fear for dual-language Mandarin program if charter joins campus Posted on April 8, 2016 12:42 pm by Mike Szymanski Angelica Lopez Moyes is amazed that her 1st-grade son can speak Mandarin. But she is concerned that his dual-language immersion program at Castelar Street Elementary School could  be jeopardized if a charter is co-located on the campus. Castelar, founded in 1882 and…

West Ada to wind down Chinese language program BY BILL ROBERTS   The West Ada School District will begin ramping down its Chinese immersion program at Gateway Elementary School beginning with kindergartners in fall 2017, district officials say. Students enrolled in the fall will be able to attend, but the district will not offer enrollment…

Our friends in Shanghai at the Mandarin Companion have been busy translating and they’ve come out with their latest book, The Prince and the Pauper. I love this series on an iPad because you can click on difficult words and get the translations. But there’s also an element of “I read a whole book myself”…

  It will be launching at Anchorage’s Scienic Park Elementary School in the fall of 2016. The school has offered Chinese language and culture lessons since 2008 but will now be starting an actual immersion program for the Kindergarten class. The first round of a lottery to get into the program was held this spring but it…

  By  KATHERINE KINZLER MARCH 11, 2016 CreditGérard DuBois  BEING bilingual has some obvious advantages. Learning more than one language enables new conversations and new experiences. But in recent years, psychology researchers have demonstrated some less obvious advantages of bilingualism, too. For instance, bilingual children may enjoy certain cognitive benefits, such as improved executive function — which is critical…

Provo Wasatch Elementary students use Chinese and English to share American heroes Sammy Jo Hester, Daily Herald – Cole Sanchez and Daniel Nevers wait to give their presentations on Tuesday, March 29, 2016, at Wasatch Elementary. Fifth- and sixth-grade students dressed up as wax American history heroes for the day. SAMMY JO HESTER, Daily Herald…