Brain Research What speaking two languages does to the brain By Christos Pliatsikas Jan 13 2015 There is increasing evidence that bilingualism can affect how the brain works. Older, lifelong bilinguals have demonstrated better cognitive skills in tasks that require increased cognitive control. These cognitive effects are most pronounced in bilingual people who speak two languages in…

All the research about language learning boils down to two things—if you spend time speaking and reading, you’ll get better fast. But reading, for kids in immersion, isn’t a slam dunk because there simply aren’t all that many things available in Chinese simple enough for them to read. They’re starting to be published but it’s…

This is a book that might be of interest to teachers and program administrators, from the folks at the Center for Applied Linguistics. Developing Academic Literacy and Language in the Content Areas Published by Center for Applied Linguistics Based on a 21st century approach to academic literacy that is aligned with today’s rigorous standards, this…

This is College Park Elementary School’s annual Friends of Mandarin Scholars Gala Fundraiser. Pretty impressive. And I say that not because they invited me to be one of their “special guests” (I’m nowhere near glamorous enough, clearly.) But for a program that’s in a public school and launched only in 2007, they’ve done a tremendous…

New York City Education Department to Add or Expand 40 Dual-Language Programs The New York City Education Department plans to expand dual-language programs offered in public schools, using the orchestra of local languages to spread bilingual little symphonies across the five boroughs — and perhaps to attract more middle-class families to poorer schools in the process. Carmen…

Wednesday hearing on Mandarin immersion charter school by Barbara Wood / Almanac The public will have another chance to comment about the Mandarin immersion charter school proposed for the Menlo Park City School District when the San Mateo County Board of Education holds a public hearing on Wednesday, Jan. 7. The meeting starts at 7…