Yu Yang--is the student body predominately African American, does Yu Yang have a non-Chinese track..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OK - in this situation, what would work?

First, you ensure that you only enroll students in Pre-K or K for language immersion. Second, you ensure all students receive Chinese immersion. If you believe in immersion, this is why you send your student to this type of a school. Indeed, immersion is the model that works for dual-language. So, if the goal is DUAL-language, then stick with the goal. You provide high quality differentiated instruction to all students in a diverse setting. You ensure that every single student receives the high quality model. You put aides in the classroom to help students who are struggling. You DON'T pull these students out. Everyone loses when you start labeling and pulling students out.

A. They did that. And that wasn't enough. Now what?

B. Who loses when they start pulling students out? People who think that all kid are plug and play and perfectly equal and there aren't differences in abilities or interests or skills? Who loses? Lots of worries here about tracking and losing, but it all jsut seems to be the typical handwringing about people feeling badly. Maybe, the kids who are pressing ahead lose when kids who perhaps just don't have the language skills are slowing down the rest of the class?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OK - in this situation, what would work?

First, you ensure that you only enroll students in Pre-K or K for language immersion. Second, you ensure all students receive Chinese immersion. If you believe in immersion, this is why you send your student to this type of a school. Indeed, immersion is the model that works for dual-language. So, if the goal is DUAL-language, then stick with the goal. You provide high quality differentiated instruction to all students in a diverse setting. You ensure that every single student receives the high quality model. You put aides in the classroom to help students who are struggling. You DON'T pull these students out. Everyone loses when you start labeling and pulling students out.

It is my understanding that this is what HAD been happening - but it hadn't worked. Hence the separate class. Also, at some point differentiated instruction within one classroom becomes counterproductive to all students.

And I'm confused - do you have a problem with any separate classes at all, or separate classes that happen to be all AA?

[Anonymous]

Also, at some point differentiated instruction within one classroom becomes counterproductive to all students.


This is simply not true. There is a large body of educational research on this issue. If differentiated instruction wasn't working at Yu Ying, the teachers need more professional development. It is clear, they don't know how to teach in a differentiated manner.

[Anonymous]

There is differentiation in the classrooms. It starts in PreK. There have also been a teacher, assistant, and dedicated aid. Plus dedicated booster groups. Plus pull out services. Once again evidence that person posting this is not a parent.

[Anonymous]

First of all, where does it say that you have to be a parent in a school to have an opinion about the education of ALL of our children? We are taxpayers and we are paying for Yu Ying. We all have a vested interest in what is going on at our public schools and our public charter schools.

Second of all, if the teachers were doing differentiation correctly, there would be NO NEED for pull out services and NO NEED for the creation of a low track.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OK - in this situation, what would work?

First, you ensure that you only enroll students in Pre-K or K for language immersion. Second, you ensure all students receive Chinese immersion. If you believe in immersion, this is why you send your student to this type of a school. Indeed, immersion is the model that works for dual-language. So, if the goal is DUAL-language, then stick with the goal. You provide high quality differentiated instruction to all students in a diverse setting. You ensure that every single student receives the high quality model. You put aides in the classroom to help students who are struggling. You DON'T pull these students out. Everyone loses when you start labeling and pulling students out.

And when all those interventions (and more) have been tried and are insufficient, then what do you do?

[Anonymous]

Hire an experienced and skilled teacher?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hire an experienced and skilled teacher?

done. it's all been done. you obviously haven't been there, have you? yet you have a highly prejudicial opinion about that of which you know nothing.

why should anyone listen to you? do you always tell people what to do, when you obviously have no idea what you're talking about?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:First of all, where does it say that you have to be a parent in a school to have an opinion about the education of ALL of our children? We are taxpayers and we are paying for Yu Ying. We all have a vested interest in what is going on at our public schools and our public charter schools.

Second of all, if the teachers were doing differentiation correctly, there would be NO NEED for pull out services and NO NEED for the creation of a low track.

I believe you are trying to help the school and have its best interests in heart as well as that of all children. I also believe that I rather a million passionate people who care intensely about discrimination, quality education, and equal opportunity for all kids--and who post on DCUM about it rather than ignore it.

Honest question--where do you get experienced Chinese speaking teachers skilled in differentiation?

[Anonymous]

I should add that I think Yu Ying already does hire great Chinese teachers, including some truly gifted ones that my children have had.

[Anonymous]

I can't believe this thread. It's probably started by a parent trying to get their child in for next year and playing headgames with the competition.

FYI, we love the school and sooooo happy our child goes there.

PK parent.

[Anonymous]

Where do you get experienced Chinese speaking teachers skilled in differentiation?

Well, that's precisely the point. You put the money into high quality professional development for the teachers. It sounds like they already have dedicated teachers who know Chinese and know how to teach Chinese. Now, you train them in the areas where they need help...differentiation. It CAN be done. It works at many schools in this area. You have to believe that all the children can learn and deserve an equal opportunity to learn in a high quality setting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where do you get experienced Chinese speaking teachers skilled in differentiation?

Well, that's precisely the point. You put the money into high quality professional development for the teachers. It sounds like they already have dedicated teachers who know Chinese and know how to teach Chinese. Now, you train them in the areas where they need help...differentiation. It CAN be done. It works at many schools in this area. You have to believe that all the children can learn and deserve an equal opportunity to learn in a high quality setting.

It is being done. We've had some amazing teachers at Yu Ying - both English and Chinese. And, the differentiation is definitely there, I couldn't be happier.

[Anonymous]

No, trying experienced English teachers has not been done consistently.

The 3rd grade teacher last year had zero experience in elementary instruction. The 4th grade teacher this year has zero experience running her own class (one year as an assistant). The teacher for the DCC was a Teach for America last year.

The research is clear, first and second year teachers are not effective. Yu Ying hires ineffective teachers for many of it's classes and then people wonder why the students aren't achieving?

The DCCAS scores for last year speak volumes about the quality of the English instruction at this school.

[Anonymous]

its