An experiment in teaching a second language as part of the everyday experience in the classroom has blossomed into a growing program in the Washington County School District.

Since its inception a few years ago at what is now Dixie Sun Elementary, dual immersion has gone from a controversial topic to a popular program with growing demand among students and parents. While Spanish was the natural language of the pilot project, the program has expended to include more Spanish-speaking schools and Chinese.

Please read more here.

There’s a San Francisco Bay area  Mandarin-speaking mom named Vickie Tsui who was frustrated enough at the lack of good bilingual books that she sat down and wrote one herself. She’s also got great tips about raising bilingual kids when you speak Mandarin but the world around you doesn’t. Check out her blog (and her book) here:

http://mandarin-tiger-mom.blogspot.com

She’s also got a great web site

http://vickietsui96.blogspot.com

where she reviews and explains books in Chinese and has a great link to files where she’s actually read them aloud. She totally rocks.

And for those in the Bay area, a nice spreadsheet of afterschool and Saturday Chinese programs, along with local immersion schools.

The Natrona County School District will go forward with an optional dual-language immersion pilot program slated to be implemented next school year.

The amended curriculum approved Monday night would utilize two class sections of 22 kindergarten students at Paradise Valley Elementary School. In the pilot program, participating kindergartners would spend half of their school day learning in Mandarin Chinese.

Thea True-Wells, a parent representative with the Wyoming Dual-Language Immersion Steering Committee, says, though the committee didn’t get everything it asked for, many parents left Monday’s board meeting pleased.

Please read more here.

[April 9 update: Wyoming will be getting its first Mandarin immersion program in 2013-2014, at Paradise Valley Elementary School.]

As educators from across the nation meet in Boston at the National Chinese Language Conference this weekend it seemed a good time to look at the current landscape of Mandarin immersion schools in the United States.

I keep a spreadsheet of all the programs I’m aware of on the Mandarin Immersion Parents Council blog, which I update whenever someone emails me with a new school or program. I posted numbers early in the school year and afterwards got several updates and corrections, which are now incorporated into the list.

This week I’ve been crunching numbers and here’s where we seem to be as of April 2013. The numbers I’m working from include schools that are currently open and seven which are scheduled to open in the 2013-2014 school year. There are most likely more coming next year but these are the ones that I’m aware of.

A whopping 24 new Mandarin immersion schools opened in the United States in the 2012-2013 school year, the largest number yet. The year before it was 20, the year before that 18.

In fact, growth has been explosive since 2007.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first Mandarin immersion school in the nation, San Francisco’s Chinese American International School, opened in 1981. It wasn’t until 1991 with the opening of Pacific Rim International School in Emeryville, Calif., that a second appeared. In 1996 they were joined by two more, Potomac Elementary in Potomac, Maryland, the nation’s first public Mandarin immersion program, and the private International School of the Peninsula in Palo Alto, Calif.

Things stayed somewhat steady, with a few programs opening every year or so and then beginning in 2005 it took off, with five that year and four the next. For the nation, it looks like this:

Here are the new schools that started this year, 2012-2013:

Here are the ones I’m aware of that are planning on opening in 2013-2014:

By state, California, Utah, Minnesota and South Carolina have the most schools. It’s important to note however that Utah and Minnesota are fundamentally different as they’re part of broader state-wide networks, while California and to a much lesser extent South Carolina are multiple disparate school districts, charters and private schools, some with connections to schools in Taiwan and Hong Kong.

The majority of Mandarin immersion schools are public.

It’s a little difficult to tell how many elementary versus middle schools there are, as many schools haven’t finished building out their programs or don’t make clear on their websites how many grades they’ll eventually have. I’m not quite sure how to catalog high schools as by that point students are presumably only taking one course per day in Chinese. For that matter, the only high school I’m aware of is Cleveland, in Portland, which is the culmination of Portland’s Mandarin immersion program. There are undoubtedly more, as other programs are at least 12 years old. But for students not in high school:

In general, the mania for Mandarin appears to be expanding unabated. Only the difficulty in finding teachers seems to be a stumbling block as parents continue to clamor for these programs nationwide. Whether they’re hoping to give their children a boost in the 21^st century job market, connect to family roots, keep a home language alive or are simply looking for academic rigor, Mandarin immersion programs are appearing everywhere and in most places easily filling their incoming classes.

That increase is positive for many reasons, not the least of which is that parents who invest the time and effort in Mandarin now know that if they have to move for work or other reasons there’s at least a chance they’ll be able to find another Mandarin program for their children. This makes the choice to begin in immersion easier for families who see possible job transfers in their future.

Stumbling blocks continue to be a dearth of trained teachers and a clear set of Mandarin fluency expectations in both speaking and reading. The level at which students speak, read and write continues to be between two and four grade levels below what it would be for children the same age in China or Taiwan. Without any agreed upon standards for the United States, parents have a tendency to look at what Chinese kids can do, a comparison that is neither fair nor helpful.

On the good-news front, leveled readers are beginning to become available from larger Chinese websites such as China Sprout, NanHai, Cheng & Tsui and others. These sites offer easy-to-navigate English sides that help parents who don’t read Chinese buy books for home. While there still aren’t enough fun books for kids in Mandarin immersion program, they’re starting to arrive.

In general, Mandarin immersion programs are more wildly successful than I think anyone would have guessed possible only a few years ago. In September of 2006 there were no more than 24. Today that number is 132 and this coming fall it will likely top 140. With that growth comes both more demands for teachers, textbooks, resources but also opportunities such as networking, markets for books and curriculum materials.

One very bright point is the development of broader school and school district consortia which share training, materials and leverage both buying power and influence among textbook producers. At least two are now official, Minnesota’s and Utah’s and one other is in the works. These may be able to help smooth the way for newer programs by sharing expertise.

Parents, too, are beginning to form networks to support their children, their teachers and their school, and to share information. At least 15 non-profits exist nationally to support Mandarin immersion programs at various schools and a small group of leaders in those parent organizations have begun to communicate electronically about how we can avoid reinventing the wheel in each new town that gets a Mandarin immersion program.

As we say here in San Francisco—加油！

There’s trouble in Tinseltown. Mandarin trouble. And boy am I getting emails about it.

Here’s what’s up. Broadway Elementary School on Los Angels’ west side, is home to a wildly popular Mandarin immersion program, Launched in 2010 it’s proven so enticing that in the last two years they’ve enrolled FOUR classes of incoming Kindergarteners.

Which was a problem because Broadway doesn’t have 30 classrooms, which is what it would need to accommodate five classes per grade (four Mandarin immersion, one English) from Kindergarten to fifth grade.

So last year the Los Angeles Unified School District decided to move the whole program over to Marina Del Ray Middle School and create a K-8 Mandarin immersion school there.

Unfortunately, the LA school board may have made the decision but they didn’t do a good job of selling the idea to the Marina del Rey school community, creating a lot of anger, resentment and slowness. Due in part to that and in part who knows what, the district didn’t get to work making the facility “safe and operational” for a bunch of Kindergarteners in time, so the Mandarin program can’t move until 2014-2015.

Unfortunately LAUSD already promised to start a Spanish immersion program at Broadway, so they’ve got to make room for that.

Which means that for 2013-2014 Broadway is very likely to only be able to enroll TWO Mandarin immersion Kindergarten classes, rather than four. And because it’s such a popular program, one of those classes is already full of the younger brothers and sisters of current students.

Nothing’s been set in stone yet but that’s what seems to be going down. And that means that on LA’s West side there are only 22 open seats for Mandarin immersion next year. Parents who wanted them, some who’ve been waiting YEARS to get in and who helped the program start, didn’t get a place and they’re angry, frustrated and at wit’s end.

I talked to the ever-calm and reasonable Susan Wang, Broadway’s amazing principal, and she said that it’s only temporary and that for 2014-2015 they plan on having the Mandarin program back up to four Kindergartens. But that’s little comfort to the Kinder parents who had hoped for a seat.

It’s also little comfort to Wang, who’s got to find a way to keep her four precious Kindergarten teachers busy. They’re worth their weight in gold these days on the open market so she can’t afford to lose them. But moving two of her teachers to a higher grade for a year is asking an awful lot because they’d have to create an entirely new curriculum and teach it for a year before they went back to Kindergarten. That’s one of the bigger problem in Mandarin immersion programs, the leading edge teachers as each new grade is filled have to create an entirely new curriculum. Ask them to do that and you might find one of your trained and beloved teachers is suddenly poachable. So it’s not an ideal situation for Wang, either

And of course the parents, who have been calling the school and the school board for days, so much that the board is now no longer taking calls on the topic, I’m told. I’ll be keeping my ears open for updates and will post what I find out.

The only hope I can hold out is that it is possible to start Mandarin immersion in first grade. My oldest daughter did it and it worked out fine. It’s a bit of a rocky start, but hey, so is Kindergarten. So for parents who didn’t get in in Kindergarten, it’s not as if you have to give up dreams of Mandarin forever. It might mean waiting out the year at another school and then coming back for first grade. Not idea, but since when do we live in an ideal world?

Though this raises a larger issue. I wonder sometimes about how school districts treat Mandarin immersion programs. It’s as if they’re punished for failure, rewarded with punishment. Back in 2010 the Los Angeles Unified School District was looking at consolidating Broadway because of low enrollment and Wang suggested Mandarin immersion it succeeded beyond anyone’s wildest dreams.

Great. You’d think LAUSD must be pleased as punch and will support the program and its principal to the hilt.

You’d be wrong. When LAUSD told the Mandarin program it was moving this fall, it also announced that it wasn’t sending Wang along with it. She was going to stay at Broadway to oversee a new Spanish immersion program.

The parents went crazy, made a lot of noise and LAUSD backed down. Thank goodness.

Who knows what will happen this time? Even frustrated parents can’t make classroom materialize out of thin air so it seems as if Broadway’s Mandarin program will take a hit for a year, leaving a bad taste in everyone’s mouth.

Having met Wang and talked to her on the phone, the one thing I know is that she’s an excellent leader and she’ll be able to calm those who can be calmed and make sure it doesn’t harm the overall Mandarin program. But to my friends-in-Mandarin in LA, I offer condolences. Building out a program is never an easy road. As someone who’s seen it warts and all in the San Francisco Unified School District, I feel your pain.

===

FYI, here is the form letter LAUDS board member Steve Zimmer’s is sending out to parents who email him:

 

Good afternoon,

 

Thank you for reaching out to me with your concerns about next year’s Mandarin Immersion Program at Broadway.  I apologize for the stress and confusion that  has been caused by this unexpected delay.  Please know that we are working with Dr. Deasy and the LAUSD Executive Team daily to try and ensure there is a solution that allows for the enrollment of the maximum number of students possible in the Mandarin Immersion Program next  year.

 

Dr. Deasy is directly involved and doing everything he can to develop the best, creative solutions.  I want to remind  you that the conversation about enrollment for next year is about next year only. I remain committed to the Mandarin Immersion instructional design and continue to work with our Facilities Department to find a long term solution that supports the instructional design without displacing or disenfranchising the existing District programs.  I have read all of your emails.  I understand and appreciate your stress and concern.  I know that you want the best for your children and I know how much you have invested in this program.

 

Please know that it is the job of the School District to protect that investment but it also our role to ensure that all children have access to programs that are adequately supported and funded by the District.  I anticipate Dr. Deasy will communicate directly with parents of all affected programs at the beginning of next week.  There are many schools, programs and classrooms that will be affected by our decisions, both next year and for years to come.  I know it is difficult to be patient when it comes to your child’s education.  I appreciate your concern and dedication to this program.

 

I look forward to meeting with you soon as we continue to move forward together.

 

Steve

 

A program by the stellar folks at the Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition in Minneapolis. Definitely a must-attend for newer programs.

Immersion 101 for Chinese and Japanese

An Introduction to Immersion Teaching

June 24–28, 2013 (Teacher Session) June 24–25, 2013 (Admin Session)

New Chinese or Japanese immersion teachers and administrators will receive a research-based introduction to the challenges, options, and issues in the unique world of immersion education (K-12). Targeted institute participants include one-way (foreign language) and two-way immersion educators who teach subject matter through Chinese or Japanese for 50-100% of the school day and promote continued development of English (amount of instructional time in English varies by grade level).

On the first two days, the focus will be on issues of interest to new immersion teachers and administrators. Administrators and district personnel will have an opportunity to engage with key issues in immersion program design and implementation for character-based languages and discuss strategies for meeting those challenges with an experienced immersion administrator. During the following three days, novice teacher participants will be introduced to effective practices that inform language and literacy-attentive curriculum development and instruction with non-cognate, character-based languages whose writing system differs from English.

During this institute, you will: Become familiar with the educational philosophy, research, and practices of immersion education as well as the distinguishing characteristics and goals of various program models; Connect with colleagues and strengthen your professional network; Discuss the unique role immersion education plays in public education and explore administrative strategies for dealing with immersion issues at the school and district level; Examine effective classroom management and instructional strategies for immersion teachers who are new to teaching and learning in the United States; and Collaboratively develop content-based curriculum that systematically attends to language and literacy development.

Program Schedule (9 a.m.—4 p.m.) Day 1    All participants Immersion Philosophy, Practices, and Goals Types of Immersion Programs Immersion Benefits and Challenges Day 2    All participants Principal Perspectives Two Programs, One School Cross-Cultural Challenges Day 3    Teacher Participants Only Content-Based Curriculum Design Integration of Language, Culture, and Content Research-Supported Learning Activities Day 4    Teacher Participants Only Instructional Scaffolds Constructing Language Objectives Character-Based Literacy Instruction Day 5    Teacher Participants Only Mentor Teacher Panel Classroom Community Building Internet Resources for Immersion

Presenters

Tara Fortune, Ph.D., is the immersion projects coordinator at CARLA and will serve as the lead instructor and institute facilitator. She devotes most of her professional time to the preparation and continuing education of immersion educators throughout the United States and abroad. She oversees research initiatives in immersion which have recently included a focus on struggling immersion learners and immersion language assessment.

Guest Presenters will include several veteran immersion teachers and administrators who will share their specific expertise at the institute.

Designed for pre-service and novice K-12 immersion educators, administrators, district personnel or policy makers, and specialist teachers in immersion schools. It is not meant for experienced immersion teachers.

More here.