mandarin immersion for the south bay _ any school district
TRANSCRIPT
Mandarin Immersion for the South Bay David Bloom … 310-994-5536 [email protected] Dr. Reuben Chen [email protected] 1/29/2012
Carolyn Gough, world languages consultant-
"People who are savvy about business recognize the world is no longer round. It's a flat, spreading economy, and China is where a lot of our business opportunities are going to be in the near future"
What is Mandarin Immersion?
• Children are not just learning the
Mandarin Chinese language, but are
learning in Mandarin Chinese
• Requires a substantial portion of the
learning day in order to be successful
• Has many different flavors, but the
end result is that children become
completely bilingual: English and
Mandarin
Anmei Bloom (4)
learning in preschool in China
Why Mandarin Immersion?
• A brighter future:
o Mandarin is the first language of 867 million people and
the second language of another 178 million, for a total of
about 1 billion speakers worldwide.
• Research Shows:
o Learning a second language helps increase listening
ability, memory, creativity, and critical thinking.
o Students who are fluent in two languages perform better
academically than their monolingual peers.
o The best time for children to become fluent in another
language is before the age of 13.
• Won’t learning two languages confuse my child?
o Studies show that immersion learners show greater
non-verbal problem solving abilities and more flexible
thinking.
Mandarin Immersion in LAUSD
• Currently 3 Schools in LAUSD are
offering Mandarin Immersion
o Broadway Elementary in Venice is the
closest
• 2 years ago, Broadway Elementary
made a commitment to Mandarin
Immersion
o School, once 60% capacity is now
turning students away
o Demographics 2 years ago very similar
to William Green
• School districts are working with
UCLA’s Confucius Institute
What is Broadway’s API score?
The current score is 869, following an
unprecedented 107 point increase from
2010 and continuing growth in 2011.
Mandarin Immersion in the South Bay
Population (2010) % Asian in 2010 Population (2000) % Asian in 2000
Manhattan Beach 35,135 8.6 32000 6
Redondo Beach 67000 12 63000 9
Lawndale 32000 10 31000 10
Hawthorne 84000 8 84000 8
El Segundo 16000 9 13000 6
Gardena 58000 26 58000 26
Torrance 145000 35 137000 29
Palos Verdes Estates 13000 17 13000 17
Hermossa Beach 18000 6 18000 4
Lomita 20000 14 20000 11
“The aging population and economic factors also contributed to the number of children in the South Bay aged 5 to 9 declining by almost 16 percent - more than 7,400 - in the past 10 years.” Daily Breeze, 7/30/2011
• 90% Mandarin - 10% English
o Typical program startup reducing to 50-50 by 5th grade
• 50% Mandarin - 50% English
o Broadway Elementary Model: classes start in “2’s”
o Students with Mandarin background benefit the most
• X% Mandarin - Y% English - Z% Spanish
o Multilingual
Start-up Choices for Fall 2012
90/10 or 50/50 depends on student’s background,
both models have been successful
50/50
90/10
X/Y/Z
Although only proposing Kindergarten, significant interest in 1st grade also
Typical Issues and Concerns Raised • Current High Interest:
o 15 Students Kindergarten
o 15 Students 1st
• Must be cost neutral
o Probable extra cost of $50k - $75k
o When would you like the check?
• Staff recruitment
o 2 credentialed teachers, fluent in
Mandarin, highly interested
o Asked for resumes of 3 others
• Communication
o Interpretation and translation
o Substantial volunteers already
recruited
Par
en
ts L
ast
Nam
e
Par
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t's
Firs
t N
ame
Cit
y
Lang
ua
ge(s
) sp
oke
n a
t h
om
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Cheng Angela Redondo Beach English, Mandarin, Cantonese
Wu Candy Torrance Cantonese, English
Chen Cindy Manhattan Beach Mandarin, English
Zhou Mary Torrance Mandarin, English
Lam Anne Manhattan Beach Mandarin, English
Chen Winy Redondo Beach Mandarin, English
Bloom David Lawndale Mandarin, English
Dee Michele Rancho Palos Verdes English, Mandarin, Cantonese
Chen Reuben Redondo Beach Mandarin, English
Hauck Kathleen Manhattan Beach English
Chang Cathy Palos Verdes Estates English
Chen Mary Manhattan Beach Mandarin, English
Wong Ah-San Hermosa Beach Mandarin
Lou Grace Manhattan beach English
Silverman Ronni Manhattan Beach English
Moore Joanne Torrance English
Martin LingLing Palos Verdes Estates Mandarin, English
Niu Dong Dong Torrance Mandarin
Tam-Singer Diane Hermosa Beach English, Cantonese
Teng Wendy Palos Verdes Estates Mandarin
Shi Yiro Redondo Beach English
Lin Ester Torrance English
Eng Gwen Redondo Beach English
Tan Wendy Redondo Beach English
Fu Nancy Redondo Beach Mandarin, English
Lim Andrea Redondo Beach English
Pong Steven Torrance Mandarin
Timeline for the Fall 2012
Next Steps for “Doers”
• Start Chinese education foundation
and begin fundraising
• Work with Broadway Elementary
for a list of South Bay students and
possible teachers
• Begin parent education outreach
• Establish curriculum and begin
necessary translation services
“Do not underestimate the number of non-Asian families who are interested in having their children learn Mandarin.” … Dr. Reuben Chen
South Bay Chinese Immersion Foundation (SBCIF)
• Mission Statement
o The South Bay Chinese Immersion Foundation
(SBCIF) is committed to the belief that learning the
Mandarin language is a long term commitment by not
only the children, but also by the parents and the
community.
South Bay Chinese Immersion Foundation (SBCIF)
• The Non-Profit charter of SBCIF is to:
o Raise money to cover partial expenses of a South Bay
Mandarin immersion program
o Raise awareness in the South Bay
o Educate prospective parents about Mandarin immersion
o Build relationships with teaching credential programs to
help recruit good teachers
o Research curriculum and translate materials
o Help organize listeners and tutors from the community
o Nurture future Mandarin immersion families
SBCIF – Raising Money
• Goal
o $150k first and second years, $75k following years
• Current Engagement
o Setting up non-profit for fund raising
o Currently 5 families have pledged financial support
o Pledges in excess of $50k
o Many families of significant wealth on prospective student list
• Near Term Engagement
o Complete non-profit paperwork
o Contact South Bay Chinese heritage businesses and
organizations for support
o Find leadership for this activity
• Long Term Engagement
o Sustaining operation to address long term Mandarin
immersion financial needs
SBCIF – Raising Awareness in the Community
• Goal
o Active participation of 20 residents and business
leaders in the community
• Current Engagement
o Engaged 4 Community Leaders
o Established Website
o Currently emails have went out to over 200 residents
o Working with BOLCC
• Near Term Engagement
o Finding leader for this activity
• Long Term Engagement
o Establish regular activities
SBCIF - Educating Parents about Mandarin Immersion
• Goal
o Reach out to 200 prospective parents per year
• Current Engagement
o Recruited experienced leader for this activity
o Established FAQ and Important Links on Website
o Substantial one-on-one engagement
o Many parents already visited Broadway
• Near Term Engagement
o Set up monthly information meeting until school starts
o Setting up free Mandarin “mini-lessons” for children
• Long Term Engagement
o Work with principal to organize school tours
o Video tape class work and post on web
www.Chinesebilingual.com
SBCIF – Recruiting Future Teachers
• Goal
o 5 resumes of highly interested, credentialed teacher per year
o 5 resumes of highly interested assistants per year
• Current Engagement
o Loyola Marymount University has Mandarin Teaching
Credential Program
o Currently have resumes of 2 highly interested, credentialed
teachers and 2 non-credentialed teachers
• Near Term Engagement
o Planning “get-to-know-you” meeting with LMU Mandarin
Program leadership
o Planning “get-to-know-you” meeting with Confucius Institute
• Long Term Engagement
o Get to know top candidates by name and build relationships
SBCIF – Curriculum Research and Translation
• Goal
o Researched curriculum of 3 top Mandarin immersion programs
o 2 Mandarin immersion school visits per year
o 2 translation helpers dedicated to each grade
• Current Engagement
o Contacted and gathered information for 2 Mandarin immersion
programs and setting up the 3rd
o Have curriculum outline for Bay Area kindergarten program
o 2 translation helpers for kindergarten in place
• Near Term Engagement
o Continue online research of top Mandarin Immersion programs
o Searching for 2 1st grade translation helpers
• Long Term Engagement
o Continuous relationship building with top immersion programs
SBCIF – Organizing Helpers for Student Success
• Goal
o 10 Mandarin speaking volunteers per class
• Current Engagement
o 4 Mandarin speaking volunteers
• Near Term Engagement
o Outreach Mandarin speaking community in South Bay
through Church and Civic organizations
o Will recruit leader for this activity
• Long Term Engagement
o Work with school and teachers to improve helping
o Provide helper training classes
SBCIF – Planning for Future Students
• Goal
o 60 applications for spots per year
• Current Engagement
o Have built database with approximately 45
children
• Near Term Engagement
o Will develop more robust data entry through Ipad
o Will insure sign up is available at all activities
o Will begin active information email program
• Long Term Engagement
o Will integrate activities with parent education and
community leaders outreach
www.Chinesebilingual.com
At the End of the Day …
• Very motivated parents with a vested interest
in the success of the program
• Untapped education arena in the South Bay
school community
• Successful recipe!
Backup Slides
Example of Parent Comments
Hi Connie and David,
I want to support your efforts. We want to put Jack in first grade in public school next year … I'd put
him … into the immersion program if there is a grade-appropriate choice. (Even if Jack is not in the
program) I'd like to donate some money (I'm not sure how much but maybe a few hundred the first
time, then more later on). I would like to donate time if I can help do things in the evening, as I work
full time.
If you don't have my contact info, it's:
Diane
th Place
Hermosa Beach, CA
Cell phone:
and you have my email address
I'd be happy to help out if you need it- I think it's a great opportunity for the kids!
Diane
Charts • Broadway Elementary