Mandarin Immersion Parents Council

Scottsdale, Arizona plans Mandarin immersion program.

December 6, 2016

Scottsdale School Plans Mandarin Immersion Program, Starting in Kindergarten

By Annika Cline, Mark Brodie

Published: Monday, December 5, 2016 – 3:30pm

(Photo courtesy of Kristin Kinghorn)

Desert Canyon Elementary School principal Kristin Kinghorn learns calligraphy with students at a school in China.

Mandarin Chinese is the most widely spoken first language in the world, and fluency could mean more opportunities in the workforce. That’s why some parents here want their kids to speak it, too — even if they don’t speak it themselves.

“It’s a little bit intimidating. But I do realize this is a changing world and we need to support our children. And if this is what’s the right thing for them in terms of their personal development, you’re willing to stretch,” said Maria Aldrich, who attended a recent meeting at Desert Canyon Elementary School in Scottsdale.

She’s planning to enroll her daughter in the school’s new Mandarin Dual Immersion Program, which starts next school year.

Students will spend half of each day being taught in Mandarin. That led parent Jennifer D’Costa to wonder what homework help will be like.

Please read more here.
A look at a Manhattan Mandarin immersion program

November 30, 2016

This is from a few years back, but information about New York City programs is hard to find so I thought I’d post it. – Beth

Bilingual P.S. 20’s Principal Talks About Teaching in English and Mandarin

By Serena Solomon | January 21, 2013 8:02am

@serenaspeaks

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LOWER EAST SIDE — There are plenty of surprises when it comes to James Lee, the principal at P.S. 20 Anne Silver School, one of only two in the city that run a bilingual program in Chinese Mandarin.

Despite being Chinese-Japanese-American, Lee doesn’t speak the language many of his elementary students are learning, though he is fluent in Spanish.

A degree in rhetoric with an emphasis on the persuasiveness of folk tales preceded his master’s in special education.

After a year spent soul-searching in Peru, Lee’s science curiosity led him to work for the Prospect Park Audubon for two years before landing in the New York City school system.

“I thought to be a good principal I need to gather some skills and experiences you might not be able to gain in the school system,” said the 45-year-old Lower East Side resident and San Francisco native.

Please read more here.
More on Wisconsin possibly losing its one Mandarin immersion program

November 29, 2016

From Madison.com

Dear Editor: We are deeply troubled by the Verona School Board’s proposal to eliminate the Verona Area International School. This Mandarin immersion school is an incredible feather in the cap for the district and it provides tremendous value for the community. Any student can attend, and this school represents a fantastic way for parents to provide language education for their young children at no additional cost.

Mandarin education and language fluency is incredibly important. Mandarin is spoken by over 1 billion people and is the most widely spoken first language in the world. The economy of China continues to expand and having Mandarin speakers within our community to compete in a global economy increases the chances of successful business and other professional interactions.

Many forward-thinking states are pushing for Chinese language education as they see it as a way to improve their chances of increasing business partnerships with Chinese industry.

Chinese culture is over 5,000 years old and offers a different perspective than our standard Eurocentric worldview.

Please read more here.
Seattle wants more immersion schools to fix achievement gap

November 21, 2016

Seattle currently has a Mandarin immersion program that begins at Beacon Hill International School and Dearborn Park International School, then feeds to Mercer International Middle School.

A plan to fix Seattle student achievement gaps: teacher diversity, international schools

Originally published November 17, 2016 at 1:07 pm Updated November 17, 2016 at 7:13 pm

Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, left, talks with former Mayor Norm Rice at an education summit in April at Garfield High School. (Greg Gilbert/The Seattle Times)

An advisory group formed by Seattle Mayor Ed Murray has released a list of 18 recommendations for how the city, school district and other organizations can work together to improve the academic achievement of students of color and those from low-income families.

By

Paige Cornwell

Seattle Times staff reporter

An advisory group formed by Seattle Mayor Ed Murray has released a list of 18 recommendations for how the city, school district and other organizations can work together to improve the academic achievement of students of color and those from low-income families.

Among the recommendations: Expand and enhance before- and after-school and summer programs, increase diversity in the educator workforce, address the needs of homeless students, and add more international schools and dual-language immersion programs.

Please read more here.
Wisconsin to close state’s only Mandarin immersion program

November 18, 2016

Keep Chinese immersion school open — Kristopher Schroeder

I am deeply troubled by the Verona School Board’s proposal to eliminate the Verona Area International School.

This school is an incredible feather in the cap for the district, and it provides tremendous value for the community. Any student can attend, and this school represents a fantastic way for parents to provide language education for their young children at no additional cost.

Mandarin is spoken by over 1 billion people and is the most widely spoken first language in the world. Many forward-thinking states are pushing for Chinese language education as they see it as a way to improve their chances of increasing business partnerships with Chinese industry.

Chinese culture is over 5,000 years old and offers a different perspective than our standard euro-centric world view. But the unique character and tonal nature of the Chinese language makes early exposure and immersion incredibly vital to obtain fluency. The Verona School District should continue and increase its efforts to support the International School by renewing its charter for an additional five years. At that time, efforts should be made to reassess the viability and success of this school.

Please read more here.
Delaware district getting to middle school

November 17, 2016

By David Paulk

Caesar Rodney School District is planning for its Chinese Immersion Program to move into middle school.

It’s been four years since the first group of kindergarten students enrolled in a course where students learn a foreign language by speaking solely in the chosen tongue.

Supervisor of Instruction Darren Guido, who oversees the program, said there’s much to be done before the scholars move into middle school in 2018.

The district, in conjunction with the Delaware Department of Education, is searching for two teachers, for Postlethwait and Fred Fifer middle schools.

Please read more here.
Discount flights to China for students

November 14, 2016

From US China Strong, a non-profit:

Dear Friends,

I am thrilled to announce that, through our partnership with United Airlines, American students will now have access to discounted roundtrip travel between the United States and China!

US-China Strong and United are both committed to ensuring that all Americans, regardless of their financial resources, have the opportunity to study abroad. We often hear stories of young people who are eager to study abroad but can’t afford the airfare. Some study abroad programs have to cut back on the number of scholarships or the amount of financial aid they can offer because airfare is too expensive. By reducing the financial burden of traveling to China, it is our hope that we will see greater diversity in study abroad.

The US-China relationship is the most important and consequential bilateral relationship in the world. In order to “get it right,” we must ensure we have a next generation of China-savvy leaders who can collaborate and compete with Chinese counterparts. And those leaders must represent the diversity of America, our greatest strength. This investment by United will help us achieve that goal.

This special offer is available to ANY American student, 24 years or younger, regardless of financial need. Students must have an existing Mileage Plus account or open a new account, where they will also be able to earn mileage towards free airfare in the future. To take advantage of this program, please call US-China Strong’s official travel agent Carroll Travel at (202) 543-8118 or information@travelroom.com. Office hours are Monday-Friday from 9:00am-6:00pm EST. Please include your last name and “US-China Strong” in the subject line. United can connect cities across the U.S. – via many of its U.S. hubs – to Beijing, Chengdu, Hangzhou, and Shanghai year-round and to Xi’an during the summer season. Buy your tickets today and embark on the experience of a lifetime: Study Abroad in China.

Again, we are deeply grateful to United for offering this unique offer to American students — our future leaders.

Happy travels!

Carola McGiffert
CEO
The US-China Strong Foundation