A nice story about Los Angeles’ second Mandarin immersion school, new this year, from our friends over at the Mandarin Institute (formerly the CAIS Institute.)

Broadway Elementary Launches Mandarin Immersion Program Despite Challenges

By Susan Wang, Principal of Broadway Elementary School

With much anticipation, Broadway Elementary School (K-6) launched a Mandarin Immersion Program this fall with 44 kindergarten students. As a Los Angeles Unified School District Principal, I have been working with a group of interested parents since fall of 2009 to make this happen. After about 2 months, most students in our immersion program have gotten over the initial shock of not being able to understand one of their teachers for half the day and have adjusted to both the Chinese language and the new routines.

Read more at The Mandarin Institute

At English-Mandarin Public School, High Test Scores, but Also Strife

Todd Heisler/The New York Times

The Shuang Wen Academy on the Lower East Side received straight A’s on its city report card this year, but parents are in conflict.

By SHARON OTTERMAN

Published: November 1, 2010

Twelve years later, the school, on the Lower East Side, which runs from prekindergarten to eighth grade and has an enrollment of 660, boasts outstanding scores on standardized tests but is in turmoil.

The school is the target of nine city investigations stemming from allegations that it compelled families to pay for after-school instruction, tampered with the city enrollment process, mismanaged its finances and manipulated surveys on parents’ satisfaction with the school. In addition, a series of anonymous, threatening letters directed at the principal and parent leaders prompted the parents association to budget $20,000 for legal assistance and stepped-up security.

The parents association and other supporters say a few disgruntled parents are responsible both for the allegations, which are being investigated by the city’s Department of Education and by Richard J. Condon, the special commissioner of investigation for the school system, and for the threats.

Please read more here.

A parent passed along this camp info in China. Does anyone have any experience with it? The MIPC always gets lots of inquiries about summer camps in China but thus far we haven’t heard much from parents with actual experience sending their kids. If you’ve had a child at this or any other camp in China or Taiwan or Singapore, or if you know someone who has, please comment and tell us how it went. It’s a real need, but we also know that parents are cautious of sending their kids halfway across the world to an unknown.

===

BLCU Chinese Summer Camp Invitation 北京語言大學青少年?

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: summercamp richblcu.summercamp <richblcu.summercamp@gmail.com>
Date: 2010/10/27
Subject: BLCU Chinese Summer Camp Invitation 北京語言大學青少年中文夏令營邀請函

Dear Sir or Madam,

Good morning, this is Summer from *Beijing Language and Culture University
(BLCU)*, I am writing this letter to introduce our Chinese summer camp
program for teenagers and *would like to invite your esteemed school to
participate in this program.*

* *

*BLCU* is the *only international university in China* *with its main task
set at teaching the Chinese language and culture to foreign students since
1962*. *RICH&BLCU* Summer Camp was first hold in 2002, for the past 8 years
there are more than 1,000 students from different countries joined us. We
provide a brand new learning style for teenagers worldwide. Students can
easily improve their Chinese as well as experience Chinese culture while
having fun with new friends from all around the world and have a perfect
vacation here in China with us!

This year we have rearrange the Chinese course with different subjects.
Students will be placed into *groups with different theme*, for the year of
2011, there will be 4 themes, *AP program* (advanced placement); *IB program
* (International Baccalaureate); *HSK *(Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi); *General
Chinese language* (Chinese culture related). They will accept level
assessment on the first day of the camp. *I learned that there is Chinese
subject in your school*, so I think it will be a great fit.

For the year of 2010, there were* 132 students from Hongkong, USA, France,
Spain, Denmark, Canada, Greek, etc. joined in this program, *they’ve enjoyed
a wonderful 3-weeks camp here, *We would be very glad to have your
participation next year in Beijing!*

* *

*The following 2 ways are the initial adoptions for our cooperation, *

*1: recommend us students and get commission.*

*2: be a Group(more than 15) students and get a group price.*

For more details and pictures, please see this website:
http://www.richblcu.com/Learn.asp?JJ_id=15<http://www.richblcu.com/Learn.asp?JJ_id=15&gt;,
attached you can also find the brochure and sample schedule. If there is any
question, please feel free to *contact me at summer@richblcu.com or
+86-13911170039.*

RICH Camp Schedule.pdf

Click to access RICH+Camp+Schedule.pdf

Looking forward to your write back, have a nice day!

您好, 我是北京语言大学的工作人员summer, *我**希望**邀**请**您的学生参加我**们**的**RICH&BLCU**青少年中文夏令**营*
*。*北京語言大學是教育部直屬、國內唯一一所以對來華留學生進行漢語和中國文化教育為主要任務的國際型大學，作為語言類重點大學，在中外語言教育領域享有盛譽。

*RICH**中文夏令營計畫致力於為母語非中文的各國青少年強化中文水平*，為各國青少年及廣大華裔子女提供邊學習邊遊玩的新暑期體驗。讓他們解中國，
體驗當地風土人情，廣泛結交朋友，學習中文及中國文化.RICH中文夏令營自2002年起開辦以來，組織了數千名來自世界各地的青少年學習中文、體驗中國文化。*
2010**年**，**我**们**成功接待了来自香港、美国、法国、西班牙、加拿大、丹麦、希腊等国的**132**名学生。**并且非常期待您在**
2011**年的参与**！*

2011年，我們將把夏令營的中文課程分為4個不同主題小組，分別是：*IB**中文課程小組**；**AP**中文課程小組**；**HSK**課程小組**；
**日常中文課程小組*。學生可根據自己的需求選擇課程小組並在開營第一天接受水準測試劃分級別。*我瞭解到貴校也**開設了中文課程**，**
我們的夏令營課程將會非常適合。***

*以下是**2**種我們初期的合作模式選擇**：*

*1**：**為我們推薦學生並獲得傭金。*

*2**：**組成學生團隊參加項目**（**不少於**15**人**）**從而享受團隊價格**。*

更多細節和照片請參考網頁及附件:
http://www.richblcu.com/Learn.asp?JJ_id=15<http://www.richblcu.com/Learn.asp?JJ_id=15&gt;
,如有任何問題請隨時與我聯繫：*summer@richblcu.com* <summer@richblcu.com>* or
+86-13911170039.*

* *

Best Regards,

Summer

—
RICH Chinese Summer Camp
RICH&BLCU
Tel: +8610-65828984, 65389957
Email: summer@richblcu.com
Website: http://www.richblcu.com

Language immersion programs have become increasingly popular in cities and towns across the country.  If approved by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), the Boston Chinese Immersion Charter School (BCICS) will launch in the Fall of 2011 and become Boston’s first Chinese immersion school program.

Language immersion programs are not a new concept; they were first introduced in 1965 in Montreal, Canada to provide English-speaking students living in a predominantly francophone province of Quebec with the opportunity to learn French.  According to the Center for Applied Linguistics, “children who learn a second language are more creative and better at solving complex problems than those who do not…Knowing a second language also gives people a competitive advantage in the workforce. These are some of the compelling reasons for parents to encourage the development of a second (or third) language with their children.” Chinese immersion schools have been well established in New York and on the West Coast, in San Francisco and Portland, Oregon.

Please read more here.

Why teaching toddlers Mandarin Chinese is a smart investment

 

“Relative to 10 years ago, Americans have completely changed their outlook about learning a language. We’ve seen a shift about the age that parents want their children to start learning. Imagine—10 years from now—this entire generation of [American] children, in all kinds of professions, being able to speak Mandarin Chinese fluently.”

By Melanie D.G. Kaplan | Oct 20, 2010 |

Now that China is the world’s second largest economy, it’s no surprise that a booming language immersion program has seen a 300 percent growth in demand for Mandarin Chinese.

Yesterday I spoke with Leslie Lancry, the founder and CEO of Language Stars, which offers full immersion language classes to toddlers, preschoolers and elementary school children. She currently has 15 language centers in Chicago and Washington, D.C., and offers programs at 140 elementary schools, teaching Spanish, French, Italian, German and Mandarin Chinese.

Lancry, who speaks five languages besides English, says Mandarin is the most popular first-learned language in the world and the second most popular language on the Internet. Parents recognize that learning Mandarin—and starting early–will help their children, she says, “It’s an investment in their future.”

Read more here.

Rockford high school students visited the Turkey pavilion at the World Expo in Shanghai during their recent trip to China.

Rockford’s language programs excelling

By Danielle Arndt

In 2007, Rockford Public Schools was awarded $550,000 in federal grant money to start up its Mandarin Chinese and Spanish Immersion programs.

The district is now reaping the rewards of these programs as its students have begun to excel – matching or surpassing native speakers at various grade level

Rockford’s language programs excelling

By Danielle Arndt

In 2007, Rockford Public Schools was awarded $550,000 in federal grant money to start up its Mandarin Chinese and Spanish Immersion programs.

The district is now reaping the rewards of these programs as its students have begun to excel – matching or surpassing native speakers at various grade levels.

The funding has now run dry for these programs. The district had three years to use the money to get the courses up and running, which included financing books, teachers’ salaries and assessment costs.

“It’s important to evaluate how well you are doing and with anything new you have to prove yourself,” said Roguewood Elementary Principal Michael Hibbeln who served as the grant coordinator and helped to get these programs off the ground.

The Spanish Immersion program has grown from 143 pupils in 2007-2008 to 246 pupils this year, while the number of students enrolled in Chinese 1 grew from 54 to 96 students during that same time period.

A recent study shows, 95 percent of Rockford’s first-year Spanish Immersion students have oral fluency and listening comprehension skills consistent with other immersion programs around the country. The percentage Rockford was expected to target was 80 percent.

Despite the now documented growth and success of these programs, some district parents and local community members are disapproving of Rockford’s decision to keep these programs in the middle of a budget crisis. Critics cite the large class sizes elementary children and teachers are dealing with and the significant number of teacher layoffs.

However, Hibbeln said the programs do not cost the district additional money.

“The real cost is in the startup, but that we got the funding for,” he said.

Read more here.

Not immersion, but possibly an option for district’s that aren’t up for immersion. Though we’d love to hear from schools that have used this program. How did it go? And are there really enough scholarships to go around?

===

PLYMOUTH —

The School Committee said “si” to a language immersion program for elementary school students.

The International Educational Systems (IES) Language Foundation will begin offering after-school classes for students in November. Parents must pay for the 24-week program, but scholarships are available for families who cannot afford the lessons.

Carol Ryan, a Plymouth resident and part-time teacher at the Bay Farm Montessori Academy, will coordinate the program.

IES offers instruction in four languages – Spanish, French, Mandarin and Arabic. Elementary schools can individually decide which language to offer but, thus far, it’s been unanimous. Seven of eight local schools have already agreed to offer the program and all seven have chosen Spanish as the language to be taught.

Ryan grew up speaking Arabic at home and teaches French and Spanish.

Each school will offer two after school session – one for student in kindergarten through grade 2 and the other for grades 3 through 5.

IES started offering language programs in 1982 in San Francisco. The program arrived in Massachusetts in 1990. Hingham and Quincy already offer the program on the South Shore.

Ryan, who has two children who are about to enter the local school system, approached administrators with the idea last year.

The IES program is especially helpful because it works with students when they are young and most able to absorb a new language.

Tead more here.