Check out their Facebook page
http://www.facebook.com/PAASSC
And web site
Currently PAASSC is based in the San Francisco Bay area, but wouldn’t it be great if there were chapters around the country?
Mandarin Immersion Parents Council
Information for parents of kids in Mandarin immersion education
recent posts
- Newly-updated Mandarin immersion school list for 2026
- Where Language Meets Opportunity: Inside an Arizona Mandarin Immersion Program
- California schools that need foreign workers for teacher jobs can’t afford new visa fee
- A look at an Australian Mandarin immersion school
- British Columbia’s Mandarin immersion program to be cut
about
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Computer scientist and web developer Nathan Yeung is a student at Brigham Young University’s Dept. of Computer Science–but more importantly a dad who was looking for a Mandarin immersion program for his own kids. What he wanted to was a nice interactive map that would let him search geographically for the programs closest to his home, but nothing like that existed. Being a computer scientist, he decided to write one. Using the list of Mandarin immersion schools I keep updated on this site, he sat down and wrote one. Way to go Nathan!
You can see it at ChineseImmersionSchools.com here. He’ll be adding a Submit School feature later. Or you can send email to me and I’ll add it to the database available on this site here. We’re now up to 127 schools nationwide.
His site is hugely useful for parents looking to find a Mandarin program near them. Kudos to Nathan, I’m sure he’ll have many visitors.
It’s also fascinating to see so graphically see the emerging clusters of programs nationwide.
Nathan’s lucky to live in Utah, home to the largest cluster:
There’s also a nice one in the San Francisco Bay area:
And one in the greater Los Angeles area.
Next comes Minnesota:
There’s a developing cluster in New York, but otherwise most areas seem to just have one or two schools.
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From: American Councils for International Education <American_Councils_for_Internatio@mail.vresp.com>
Date: Mon, Jan 7, 2013 at 8:08 AM
Subject: State Dept. Grant Opportunities for Schools
To: lctl@umn.eduHello,
My name is Stephanie Heard and I work for American Councils for International Education in Washington, DC. We implement a program to help U.S. K-12 schools start or build their Arabic or Mandarin foreign language programs. This program, called the Teachers of Critical Languages Program (TCLP), is fully funded by the U.S. Department of State and provides your school with a native language speaker from Egypt or China to teach Arabic or Mandarin for one year.I’m inviting you to join me for a live, online webinar this week so that you can learn more about TCLP and find out from program alumni what the benefits were to hosting an Arabic or Mandarin teacher at their school. Just mark your calendar and click on the links below to join the class!
For Hosting an Arabic Teacher, join me on Tuesday, January 8 at 4pm EST
http://www.wiziq.com/online-class/1007419-january-online-live-chat-with-tclp-host-an-arabic-teacherFor Hosting a Chinese Teacher, join me on Thursday, January 10 at 4pm EST
http://www.wiziq.com/online-class/963235-january-online-live-chat-with-tclp-host-a-chinese-teacherI would appreciate your assistance distributing these links to anyone who you think is interested, and I am happy to answer any questions you have about TCLP or the online webinars. My contact information can be found at the bottom of this email, or please visit our website at http://www.tclprogram.org.
Thank you in advance for your collaboration, and I hope to “see” you this week in a webinar.
Best wishes,
Stephanie Heard
Senior Progam Officer, Teacher Programs
American Councils for International Education
1828 L Street, NW, Suite 1200
Washington, DC 20036
Tel: 202.833.7522
Fax: 202.833.7523 -
Not of such interest to parents, but a great event for teachers and administrators in Mandarin immersion programs. – Beth
Registration Now Open for the 2013 National Chinese Language Conference: Engage the Future
Join us in Boston, April 7–9, 2013 for the sixth annual National Chinese Language Conference! The 2013 NCLC will be packed with more than 70 breakout sessions and workshops with a focus on cutting-edge approaches to teaching that incorporate culture, technology, and international exchange, program quality and sustainability, and best practices in the classroom leading to high levels of language proficiency and deeper knowledge of China. Learn how to effectively integrate the study of China and Chinese language; hear from visionary speakers and thought leaders in the field; enjoy performances highlighting Chinese culture; visit Boston-area schools to see K–12 Chinese programs in action; and explore the rich history and educational legacy of the Boston area. Take advantage of early-bird savings through February 1 – register today! -
This is from Project Pengyou (朋友), the alumni network of the 100,000 Strong Initiative, which is a campaign aimed at dramatically increasing the number and diversity of American students in China. The goal is simple: to reach 100,000 American students in China over four years.
PENGYOU PICKS: TOP 10 CHINA BOOKS
Submitted by Project Pengyou on Thursday, December 20th, 2012 at 9:35 am
Not sure what to get for the holidays? No sweat. We’ve picked out 10 of our favorite China books for you to read or gift to a friend. If you’re in China, don’t worry. We’ve also included links for those that are available on amazon.cn! A percentage of all book sales will go toward our organization. Support Project Pengyou and learn about China at the same time!
Please read more here.
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From the Asia Society newsletter:
News and Opportunities from the Field
Teach in China Summer 2013: Sino-American Bridge for Education and Health is offering a five-week travel opportunity with Chinese teachers of English while sharing American methods of teaching English based heavily on oral interchange. Application deadline: December 31, 2012 > Learn more.Call for Proposals: The 2013 ACTFL Annual Convention and World Languages Expo of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) will be held November 22–24, 2013, with pre-convention workshops on November 21 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. ACTFL is now accepting proposals. Deadline: January 9, 2103 > Learn more.
Concordia Language Villages: Summer Villages combine world language immersion, new cultural experiences, and summer camp fun. Early-bird registration has been extended to January 3, 2013; deadline for scholarship applications is February 28, 2013. > Learn more about programs andscholarships.
Host a Guest Teacher: The Teachers of Critical Languages Program (TCLP) places EFL teachers from China in U.S. K–12 host schools for an academic year where they teach Mandarin language and culture. This program aims to increase the number of Americans teaching and learning these critical languages. TCLP provides teachers’ salaries, healthcare, roundtrip airfare, training, professional development funds, and ongoing program support. Selected host schools also receive access to grant opportunities. Application deadline: January 23, 2013 > Contact: tclp@americancouncils.org
Connect Internationally with American Councils for International Education: Educational Seminars Program provides short-term professional development opportunities to U.S. teachers and administrators for one-way professional development programs to China. Educational Seminars provide airfare, training, travel healthcare, and living costs. Application deadline: TBD, 2013 > Contact:edseminars@americancouncils.org
Intensive Summer Language Institute (ISLI): This program provides fully funded fellowships for non-native speakers of Chinese who are teaching Chinese to spend six weeks overseas studying intermediate and advanced-level Chinese in Changchun, China. Fellowships are available to current K–12 teachers and community college instructors of Mandarin Chinese, as well as to students enrolled in education programs who intend to teach Mandarin. Program runs June 18–August 3, 2013. Application deadline: February 11, 2013 > Learn more.
Call for Proposals: The Annual Language Symposium 2013, co-sponsored by Northwestern University, University of Chicago, University of Illinois at Chicago, and DePaul University, welcomes proposals from language instructors at all levels (high school and college/university-level) as well as researchers; all languages are welcome. This year’s symposium topic is “World Languages and the Roles They Play in Academia,” and will be hosted by Northwestern University April 12–13, 2013. Submission deadline: February 14, 2013. > Learn more.
2013 Educational Tours to China with the U.S.–China Education Council: Tour packages on offer include the Best of China (10 days), the Yangtze River Cruise (12 days), and Tibet & China’s Best (12 Days). > Learn more.
Global Learning for Educators: This free, year-long webinar series from Asia Society’s Partnership for Global Learning continues with a diverse and engaging winter line-up. Topics include teacher preparation, project-based learning, expanded learning programs, and world language teaching. Please see details below and register today!Adventures in Project-Based Global Learning
Hear from educators who are employing project-based global learning to give students the skills they need to connect, cooperate, and compete in a global environment. Learn how they have implemented a school-wide global learning program that incorporates projects and service learning across the curriculum. Teachers and the school leader will share their struggles and successes to help guide you on your own journey to preparing students for their global futures.
Presenters: Teachers and principal, Terri Holden, Academy of Global Studies at Winton Woods High School, Cincinnati, Ohio
Date: January 10, 2013
Time: 5:30-6:30 PM EST
FREE
RegisterChina and Globalization
The most robust, dynamic, and successful language programs connect language learning with other interdisciplinary and authentic learning—within the school and out in the wider world. Through Asia Society’s new website,China and Globalization, you can access a framework and interactive materials for teachers and students to take part in this kind of learning. Chinese language and Social Studies teachers alike will find this site to be a valuable resource. Join us for an introduction to China and Globalization and to hear from a Chinese teacher who has used these units in her classroom and expanded them to suit the proficiency levels, interest areas, and dynamics of her students.
Presenters: Eleise Jones, Education and Chinese Language Initiatives, Asia Society
Rongfen Sun Burford, Chinese Teacher, Tyee Middle School, Bellevue, Washington
Date: January 24, 2013
Time: 8:00-9:00 PM EST
FREE
Register -
When it comes to enhancing students’ cultural understanding, text books and lecture series only go so far. But two websites are attempting to challenge that norm by promoting international literature as a way for students to connect with the world.“In our past as teachers we relied a lot on expository texts when trying to explore the world,” admitted Lisa Thomas, project specialist at the Van Horne School of Global Inquiry, at the Asia Society’s Partnership for Global Learning conference, held in July. “But we have found in our work is that narratives open the world for children in ways expository texts simply do not.”
“What we’ve found is that if they’re engaged in reading texts that are authentic representations of other cultures, they understand those cultures in way that expository texts really don’t help them to understand,” she said.
The International Children’s Digital Library has nearly 4,000 digitized books in 54 different languages from 63 countries across the globe, including some as far-reaching as Zimbabwe, Mongolia and Iran. All the books are available to read on the Web site cover-to-cover, free of charge.
Please read more here.
And did you know the Asia Society has classic Chinese stories online for kids? Check it out:
Mandarin Immersion Parents Council 