Mandarin Immersion Parents Council

Information for parents of kids in Mandarin immersion education

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  • The Magic of Bilingual Education

    Seven educators and one former student on how learning another language can change lives

    The Washington Post

    My favorite memory as a bilingual teacher

    Bilingual education for me has been a validation of my language, culture and identity that I did not receive as a child of public education. I grew up in a time when English was the sole focus of language acquisition. For my students, our school system’s Vietnamese dual-language program opens the door of access for their present and future. Most of the students have been with the program since kindergarten; those now in high school have reached notable achievements that are recognized at the state level and can be put on résumés for work or higher education. A more personal triumph for me is seeing how dual-language education affects students’ present lives. The most impactful memory I carry is the deep gratitude a grandmother once shared at an end-of-year celebration. She thanked me for giving her 7-year-old grandson the ability to communicate with her. It was, she said, the first time that she was able to get to know her grandson.

    Tu Dinh is a language learning specialist at the district office of Highline Public Schools in Washington state. He spent five years at White Center Heights Elementary School as the first-grade Vietnamese dual-language teacher and two years as a Vietnamese instructional coach and dual-language facilitator.

    Please read more here.

  • Slightly off topic – Major research university in China removes English requirement

    I have no doubt this decision is more about politics than anything else, which is far beyond the scope of this blog. But it’s interesting that some of the arguments being made for and against English in China are the same ones we see being made about immersion education here in the United States:

    Yu suggested that some companies and most universities in China may require English proficiency because of the positive qualities associated with having a “second language experience”, such as strong memory.

    Yu, who was educated in Chengdu, as well as New Orleans and Cambridge, said the concept that learning a second language would interfere with the learner’s native language skills is misguided.

    Leading Chinese university becomes first to remove English requirements for students

    22 SEP 2023

    HONG KONG – A leading university in China has removed an English language test from its degree requirements amid a growing debate about the subject’s practical benefits for many people.

    Xi’an Jiaotong University, a public research university in the northwestern province of Shaanxi, has confirmed that it no longer requires students to complete the College English Test, or CET, to enter…

    The CET is an annual exam for undergraduate and postgraduate students, who usually must pass two levels – Band 4 to be given a place at a university and Band 6 to graduate.

    According to the university’s academic affairs office, the change was “a normal measure made by the school according to current developments”. It added that college-level English courses based on the CET.

    Please read more here.

  • Georgia charter school offers Korean, Mandarin immersion

    The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, By H.M. Cauley, June 3, 2023

    Je Yeong Yu, 52, still has vivid memories of moving to the U.S. with her Korean parents and being tossed into a first-grade classroom of where everyone, except she, spoke English.

    “There were no ESL programs then,” said Yu, referring to English as a Second Language classes. “I want there to be a smoother transition for students to learn their heritage language as well as English.”

    Yu is working to that goal as principal of the Yi Hwang Academy of Language Excellence in Duluth. The veteran educator learned about the school through a friend who was part of the parent group that launched the academy in a church basement with 120 students in September 2020. In January 2021, Yu took the helm.

    But the focus isn’t just on teaching English; it’s also dedicated to strengthening the families’ native tongues.

    “We’re the only school I’ve come across with a large population of heritage speakers – students whose parents and grandparents came from Korea or China, and they speak Korean or Mandarin at home,” said Yu. “But parents have said they have pretty much lost their language because they were educated here in the States. They barely communicate with their parents. What are their children going to do?”

    Please read more here.

  • Hawaii’s only Mandarin immersion program reaches 6th grade

    Honolulu’s Maryknoll School is one of three Catholic Mandarin immersion programs in the nation.

    Maryknoll’s Mandarin immersion program enters its sixth year

    Maryknoll School is preparing to introduce its incoming sixth graders to the next stage of its Man­darin immersion program, in which 80% of their classes will be taught in Mandarin.

    The program is now in its sixth year, and the sixth graders will have completed grades K-5 with 50% of their classes taught in the language.

    At this point they are expected to be “more or less” fluent in the language, said Maryknoll immersion teacher Emily Pettit. Their math and science courses, which were previously taught in Mandarin, will resume in English. The Mandarin courses available to them will also become more geared toward history and culture.

    By the time students reach the eighth grade, they are expected to be completely fluent in reading, writing, listening and speaking the language.

    “We’re preparing our students to have yet one more thing in their tool belt,” said Laurie Carlos, Maryknoll’s director of marketing communication. “From kindergarten to our fifth grade class, their use of the language is more than 50% of their day.”

    Please read more here.

  • Mandarin Immersion sleepaway camp near New York

    I’ve visited HudsonWay and know the staff and program, it’s a great school and I bet their camp, which sounds like a full-on Parent Trap camp but with immersion, is cool. A little easier to get to than China or Taiwan.


    HudsonWay International Sleepaway Camp

    We welcome students ages 8-13 to experience a 2-week international sleep-away camp on a 220-acre camp in Northern New Jersey. Select 1 or 2 weeks.This camp introduces American students who are learning Mandarin or Spanish to international students from Mandarin and Spanish speaking countries. Students learn together based on their interest in the immersive language and they experience a program focused on appreciation of the great outdoors, personal growth, community building and understanding of other cultures in a traditional camp setting.The immersion experience is designed to provide a 50/50 split between English and the target language. 

    Outdoor exploration, camp activities, language immersion and more!
    Students enjoy discovering pond ecology, tree identification, ornithology, and orienteering while also experiencing traditional camp activities such as canoeing, kayaking, row boating, fishing, ziplining, archery and ropes courses.  Native Mandarin and Spanish teachers deepen the discovery with experiences designed to deepen language skills. Book your spot now and invite your friends to join in the fun too!
    Camp Registration 2024:
    Camp Dates: June 30 to July 13
    Cost: Per student which includes lodging, food, medical insurance, transportation from NY or NJ.
    Week 1: June 30-July 6  $1925
    Week 2: July 7-July 13   $1925
    Pay a deposit of $800 to book your spot now! Camp details: https://hwis.org/international-sleepaway-camp 

  • San Jose-area Spanish immersion school adds Mandarin enrichment

    This is an interesting model for a school with an existing immersion program.

    Beginning in the fall of 2023, Randall Elementary School north of San Jose added Mandarin to its school curriculum. Randall is part of the Milpitas Unified School District

    Randall is the only district school that offers a bilingual Immersion program. The ethnic distribution in the district is 50% Asian, 20% Hispanic, 17% Filipino, 5% White, 2% Black, and 6% other, according to the district.

    When Randall asked its community about adding another language in 2023, 50% (376 responses) of respondents favored Mandarin compared to 26 percent (195 responses) for Vietnamese.

    The Mandarin program kicked off in October 2023 and began with Transitional Kindergarten and Kindergarten. It will expand a grade level each subsequent school year.

    The Mandarin program is not actually immersion.

    Instead, “it is designed to provide exposure to the language through P.E., Art, and Music. It focuses on introducing students to the language and its culture meaningfully by performing activities that engage them. Our approach allows for a balanced integration of Mandarin into their existing educational routine. This method ensures that students can build a solid foundation in Mandarin while maintaining their proficiency in other subjects,” the school said on its website.

    “We worked very hard to get as much wide-ranging community input as possible,” said Randall co-Principal Kristan Prolo, who was joined by Priti Johari, Executive Director, Learning and Innovation; Yvonne Sugimura, Coordinator II English Learners, Literacy & Intervention Services; and Claudia Cadenas, co-Principal, Randall World Language School in presenting their Randall World Languages Third Language Report.

    In May of 2021, the MUSD Board of Education approved the integration of a third language at Randall World Languages School. The steering committee then completed the process of soliciting community feedback to determine the third language and came to the recommendation of Mandarin as the third language.

  • Delaware’s language immersion program hits 57 schools – How’s it going?

    Delaware’s state-wide immersion program includes 13 schools with Mandarin immersion programs with about 1,300 students.

    Delaware Public Radio

    By Larry Nagengast  

    With nearly 10,000 students currently enrolled and new grades still being added, Dual Language Immersion (DLI) programs are solidifying their position in Delaware’s public-school landscape.

    Announced in 2011 by former Gov. Jack Markell and launched as a pilot program in three schools the following year, DLI programs offering either Spanish or Chinese are now operating in 12 of the 15 school districts that serve the elementary grades (all but Lake Forest, Laurel and Woodbridge). Two charter schools, Las Americas Aspira and Academia Antonia Alonso, offer Spanish immersion, and Odyssey Charter has the state’s only Greek immersion program.

    Growth has been steady – from the original three schools to 29 in 2017 to 57 this year. Spanish is offered in 46 schools to about 8,500 students, Chinese in 13 to about 1,300. (Three schools offer immersion in both languages.)

    Please read more here.

    Some info here on the Delaware language immersion model.

    Resources for the Delaware DLI Model

    The resources linked below provide additional information and details about the Delaware Dual Language Immersion Model, K-12 program articulation, and implementation expectations: