Here’s some interesting background on Mandarin immersion programs in British Columbia.

Vancouver (arguably the most beautiful city in North America, but I digress…) is about 17% Chinese. But it’s only now getting a Mandarin immersion program in its public schools, along with suburbs Coquitlam (see previous article) and Burnaby.

Interestingly, Vancouver and Burnaby are contemplating not taking advantage of all those Mandarin-speaking kids and instead making  their programs open only to children who already speak English. That’s one-way immersion, as opposed to two-way immersion. It’s a little controversial, as you can read here in an opinion piece in the Vancouver Sun by Henry Yu, a University of British Columbia history professor.

Another piece, by Ryuko Kubota, an education professor at the same University, also speaks for the need for two-way immersion and some of the reasons Chinese families may not embrace it.

There’s one tidbit in Yu’s piece, which I’d love to know more about – he says that Edmonton, Alberta schools have had Mandarin-English bilingual programs for 26 years, “with 13 schools and thousands of children learning Mandarin and English on a 50/50 basis.”

An article in the Canadian magazine Today’s Parent notes:

In Edmonton “the local board of education – has adopted one of the most radically decentralized programs in the country. Students are offered French immersion, but they can also sign up for bilingual elementary education in Mandarin, German, Ukrainian, Hebrew or Arabic. Among other options are a native education program featuring part-time instruction in Cree.”

Any Canadian readers who can tell us more about what’s going on up North?

Education options are increasing for Tri-Cities students as the school district prepares to introduce its first-ever Mandarin bilingual program in September 2010.

The program will be launched in two kindergarten and two Grade 1 classes at Walton Elementary next school year. Class time will be divided equally between English and Mandarin instruction, with a separate teacher for each language. This 50-50 bilingual split differs from French immersion programs, which offer 80- to 100-per-cent instruction in the second language.

The process began a year ago when a group of parents banded together to form the Tri-Cities Mandarin Initiative Committee in hopes of bringing the bilingual program to local schools.

Read more here.

The Teachers of Critical Languages Program, a program of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, is designed to expand schools’ abilities to teach Chinese and Arabic, placing experienced EFL teachers from China and Egypt in American K-12 schools for an academic year where they teach Mandarin or Arabic language and culture.

US elementary or secondary schools, both public and private, may apply
Applications are due February 12, 2010.
TCLP provides broad-based integrated support:

For exchange teachers

round-trip airfare,
~$30,000 to support living expenses
J-1 visa support
health insurance
professional development funds
Pre-departure orientation in Beijing and Cairo
2-week Orientation and methodological practicum
professional development workshops in November and May

For host schools

$5,000 grant opportunities for language-learning projects
monthly honoraria for school-designated mentors
in-person site visits by TCLP staff
on-going support from experienced staff
Check the website for application forms

One concern many parents have when starting their child in Mandarin immersion is that they’ll never be able to leave their town, much less their school, without giving up Mandarin.

But with  literally dozens of Mandarin immersion programs opening up around the country these days, that’s less a problem than it used to be.

In recent weeks, the MIPC has gotten emails from a family in Seattle thinking of moving to San Francisco and one in Minnesota thinking of moving to Portland. During the summer we heard from folks looking to move to New York, Boston and Los Angeles.

In San Francisco we’re lucky to have two public programs, Starr King and Jose Ortega, so we have schools to move between within our city, as well as a private option, the Chinese American International School.

Though we’re also hearing about more movement between private Mandarin immersion schools and public ones, most likely because of the economic downturn. The $20K yearly tuition is less affordable to many families and public options keep popping up.

At a time when moving for a new job trumps just about every other consideration, what possibilities are families finding out there? How difficult is it to transfer between schools or programs and how has the transition gone? We’d love to hear.

The Chinese Education Conference (CEC) is the largest K-16 national conference dedicated to promoting Chinese education in the United States. CEC provides:

• Best practices and hands-on teaching methods
• Innovative technology tools and essential resources
• Networking opportunities for administrators and teachers

Annually, the CEC brings together a national audience of over 500 teachers, administrators, and community leaders to learn and share the latest information in program development, teaching methodologies, technology, and much more. Attendees will broaden their vision of Chinese education and realize opportunities to develop effective programs.

CEC topic areas include:

• Curriculum & Assessment
• Instructional Strategies & Resources
• Classroom Technologies
• Cultural Integration
• Immersion Programs
• Foreign Language Programs
• Enrichment Programs
• Teacher Preparation & Development

Click here for more info.