Why Hebrew immersion at Sela?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Question: how much do people think Sela is tied to the terrrrrible politics of Israel these days? Does the Hebrew-is-one-country's-language-only thing mean it is inextricably linked to Israel's internal fights over whether it is a democracy with the rule of law, the interminable insurgency and settler radicalism, and the general/growing international perception that it is operating an apartheid state (in all but name)?

I for one spent most of my life thinking Israel was like the U.S., founded on great principles mixed with some problems but headed the right direction, but the past thirty years seem to have been an uneven slide toward emphasizing everything bad about it. (The U.S. has been a bit like this too, but nowhere near the scope of Israel's drama.)

Wanted to say I loved your brilliant letter to Mundo Verde telling them to take down those awful Dominican Republic, Salvadoran, and Mexican flags because of your strong opinions on their internal politics - but your ten page blank verse soliloquy to Yu Ying about the evils of Communism was even better. Writing to Stokes with perfect usage of le subjunctif to protest police violence in les banlieues? Chapeau! Like you, I believe strongly in collective punishment, especially when kiddos are involved. Well-run school? Classical language? Obvi just a front for those rootless cosmopolitans/globalists, wink wink.

Dumb.

Sela was also set up to focus on the "culture and people of contemporary Israel" (see below). Most of the Hebrew materials are, of course, are from Israel or involve Israel. You can't have a Hebrew immersion school that does not get into Israeli culture and political issues. For some (for example, Palestinians) that may be a non-starter.

"In addition, as students learn the Hebrew language they will also be exposed to the culture and people of
contemporary Israel. And this culture is uniquely equipped to provide students with a model of creativity
and innovation that can inspire them, and equip them, with practical values and skills for life. Israel is
unusual and notable in its culture, which is very young and yet provides extraordinarily fertile ground for
creativity."

Interesting.

This is from the Sela charter application:

"In addition to the materials mentioned above, and because HLPCS [Sela] is committed to the Hebrew language
as a core curricular element, we will align our Social Studies curriculum to this language by looking at
modern Israel as a model for both democracy and diversity."

Does Yu Ying describe modern China as a "model for both democracy and diversity"?

Israel is a democracy and one of the most diverse countries I have ever visited.

As an Orthodox Jew who used to live in Israel, I’ll say the “Israel is a democracy” line was a lot more convincing in 1966 or even 1992. The current corruption scandals, attempts to hamstring the judiciary, and the embrace of openly anti-democratic fringe figures by Likud makes this line utterly unconvincing to anyone paying attention.

Where were you posting from? Presumably not DC at that hour on Shabbat?

I am myself a tradition-minded Israeli-American who is no fan of the current government in Israel and I agree in general, though I wouldn't have chosen the dates you listed. BUT, Israel is hardly the only country currently led by a regrettably right wing government or influenced by extremists. We've already discussed the hypocrisy of posters who are A-OK with a school that doesn't put China in scare quotes. If Marine Le Pen wins the next election, which doesn't seem too far fetched, I don't expect these posters to suddenly insist we close schools that teach about France in French, either. There's something else motivating this criticism of Sela.

You are my new favorite person. Well done.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have no concerns or queries about why Sela exists, but I will admit that as someone who lives in the neighborhood I've wondered why Sela has such enthusiastic buy-in from entering PK3 parents who cannot support the language at home (I also did not lottery for Yu Ying for this reason), and I suspect most of it is just avoiding the perceived problems of DCPS schools. That said, this thread sure got ugly and should probably be locked.

Immersion schools in DC are not about fluency. They are a nice hook and means to a self selecting population. As someone who speaks 4 languages and can fake 2 others I can assure you the only way to truly achieve fluency is to be immersed.

Different goals for different people. Some families are not shooting for fluency, only proficiency and that’s OK.

Really who would not want to get out of poorly performing schools with behavior issues into schools and have their kid learn another language, no matter what the language is. It is not only another challenge but studies have also shown to help cognitive function and executive functioning skills.

We are shooting for fluency and will support because we can and have the financial means. But if other families are not, that’s OK and their decision. If your premise is that you have to be fluent to learn another language for it to be worthwhile, then 80% or more of kids in the US would not be fluent and should not learn another language.

BTW I also would say that the most vocal proponents who push fluency as the only way to go are those who are not happy or insecure at the school they attend to put down other schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Question: how much do people think Sela is tied to the terrrrrible politics of Israel these days? Does the Hebrew-is-one-country's-language-only thing mean it is inextricably linked to Israel's internal fights over whether it is a democracy with the rule of law, the interminable insurgency and settler radicalism, and the general/growing international perception that it is operating an apartheid state (in all but name)?

I for one spent most of my life thinking Israel was like the U.S., founded on great principles mixed with some problems but headed the right direction, but the past thirty years seem to have been an uneven slide toward emphasizing everything bad about it. (The U.S. has been a bit like this too, but nowhere near the scope of Israel's drama.)

Wanted to say I loved your brilliant letter to Mundo Verde telling them to take down those awful Dominican Republic, Salvadoran, and Mexican flags because of your strong opinions on their internal politics - but your ten page blank verse soliloquy to Yu Ying about the evils of Communism was even better. Writing to Stokes with perfect usage of le subjunctif to protest police violence in les banlieues? Chapeau! Like you, I believe strongly in collective punishment, especially when kiddos are involved. Well-run school? Classical language? Obvi just a front for those rootless cosmopolitans/globalists, wink wink.

Dumb.

Sela was also set up to focus on the "culture and people of contemporary Israel" (see below). Most of the Hebrew materials are, of course, are from Israel or involve Israel. You can't have a Hebrew immersion school that does not get into Israeli culture and political issues. For some (for example, Palestinians) that may be a non-starter.

"In addition, as students learn the Hebrew language they will also be exposed to the culture and people of
contemporary Israel. And this culture is uniquely equipped to provide students with a model of creativity
and innovation that can inspire them, and equip them, with practical values and skills for life. Israel is
unusual and notable in its culture, which is very young and yet provides extraordinarily fertile ground for
creativity."

Interesting.

This is from the Sela charter application:

"In addition to the materials mentioned above, and because HLPCS [Sela] is committed to the Hebrew language
as a core curricular element, we will align our Social Studies curriculum to this language by looking at
modern Israel as a model for both democracy and diversity."

Does Yu Ying describe modern China as a "model for both democracy and diversity"?

Israel is a democracy and one of the most diverse countries I have ever visited.

As an Orthodox Jew who used to live in Israel, I’ll say the “Israel is a democracy” line was a lot more convincing in 1966 or even 1992. The current corruption scandals, attempts to hamstring the judiciary, and the embrace of openly anti-democratic fringe figures by Likud makes this line utterly unconvincing to anyone paying attention.

Where were you posting from? Presumably not DC at that hour on Shabbat?

I am myself a tradition-minded Israeli-American who is no fan of the current government in Israel and I agree in general, though I wouldn't have chosen the dates you listed. BUT, Israel is hardly the only country currently led by a regrettably right wing government or influenced by extremists. We've already discussed the hypocrisy of posters who are A-OK with a school that doesn't put China in scare quotes. If Marine Le Pen wins the next election, which doesn't seem too far fetched, I don't expect these posters to suddenly insist we close schools that teach about France in French, either. There's something else motivating this criticism of Sela.

Pure whataboutism.

The main point is that 80% of the kids at Sela are below grade level in math and English, the Hebrew instruction is not great either, and they are learning a niche language with virtually no practical value to them.

The fact is that most of the kids who end up there were shut out of Chinese/Spanish/French charters or other charters and have lousy in-bounds options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Question: how much do people think Sela is tied to the terrrrrible politics of Israel these days? Does the Hebrew-is-one-country's-language-only thing mean it is inextricably linked to Israel's internal fights over whether it is a democracy with the rule of law, the interminable insurgency and settler radicalism, and the general/growing international perception that it is operating an apartheid state (in all but name)?

I for one spent most of my life thinking Israel was like the U.S., founded on great principles mixed with some problems but headed the right direction, but the past thirty years seem to have been an uneven slide toward emphasizing everything bad about it. (The U.S. has been a bit like this too, but nowhere near the scope of Israel's drama.)

Wanted to say I loved your brilliant letter to Mundo Verde telling them to take down those awful Dominican Republic, Salvadoran, and Mexican flags because of your strong opinions on their internal politics - but your ten page blank verse soliloquy to Yu Ying about the evils of Communism was even better. Writing to Stokes with perfect usage of le subjunctif to protest police violence in les banlieues? Chapeau! Like you, I believe strongly in collective punishment, especially when kiddos are involved. Well-run school? Classical language? Obvi just a front for those rootless cosmopolitans/globalists, wink wink.

Dumb.

Sela was also set up to focus on the "culture and people of contemporary Israel" (see below). Most of the Hebrew materials are, of course, are from Israel or involve Israel. You can't have a Hebrew immersion school that does not get into Israeli culture and political issues. For some (for example, Palestinians) that may be a non-starter.

"In addition, as students learn the Hebrew language they will also be exposed to the culture and people of
contemporary Israel. And this culture is uniquely equipped to provide students with a model of creativity
and innovation that can inspire them, and equip them, with practical values and skills for life. Israel is
unusual and notable in its culture, which is very young and yet provides extraordinarily fertile ground for
creativity."

Interesting.

This is from the Sela charter application:

"In addition to the materials mentioned above, and because HLPCS [Sela] is committed to the Hebrew language
as a core curricular element, we will align our Social Studies curriculum to this language by looking at
modern Israel as a model for both democracy and diversity."

Does Yu Ying describe modern China as a "model for both democracy and diversity"?

Israel is a democracy and one of the most diverse countries I have ever visited.

As an Orthodox Jew who used to live in Israel, I’ll say the “Israel is a democracy” line was a lot more convincing in 1966 or even 1992. The current corruption scandals, attempts to hamstring the judiciary, and the embrace of openly anti-democratic fringe figures by Likud makes this line utterly unconvincing to anyone paying attention.

Where were you posting from? Presumably not DC at that hour on Shabbat?

I am myself a tradition-minded Israeli-American who is no fan of the current government in Israel and I agree in general, though I wouldn't have chosen the dates you listed. BUT, Israel is hardly the only country currently led by a regrettably right wing government or influenced by extremists. We've already discussed the hypocrisy of posters who are A-OK with a school that doesn't put China in scare quotes. If Marine Le Pen wins the next election, which doesn't seem too far fetched, I don't expect these posters to suddenly insist we close schools that teach about France in French, either. There's something else motivating this criticism of Sela.

Pure whataboutism.

The main point is that 80% of the kids at Sela are below grade level in math and English, the Hebrew instruction is not great either, and they are learning a niche language with virtually no practical value to them.

The fact is that most of the kids who end up there were shut out of Chinese/Spanish/French charters or other charters and have lousy in-bounds options.

This was already disproved earlier in the thread. And if you aren’t familiar with Hebrew and don’t have a kid there, how do you know the quality of the Hebrew instruction? Your point that many families would rather be at one of the other language charters probably is not wrong, but I’m really not sure why it matters. The kids seem to be doing well, families seem to like it, and language immersion at a young age does have proven benefits even if it’s not a popular language. I don’t understand your beef against Sela. You don’t have to send your kids there.

[Anonymous]

It was such a sad day when dumb people decided that using the term whataboutism was any kind of argument.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Question: how much do people think Sela is tied to the terrrrrible politics of Israel these days? Does the Hebrew-is-one-country's-language-only thing mean it is inextricably linked to Israel's internal fights over whether it is a democracy with the rule of law, the interminable insurgency and settler radicalism, and the general/growing international perception that it is operating an apartheid state (in all but name)?

I for one spent most of my life thinking Israel was like the U.S., founded on great principles mixed with some problems but headed the right direction, but the past thirty years seem to have been an uneven slide toward emphasizing everything bad about it. (The U.S. has been a bit like this too, but nowhere near the scope of Israel's drama.)

Wanted to say I loved your brilliant letter to Mundo Verde telling them to take down those awful Dominican Republic, Salvadoran, and Mexican flags because of your strong opinions on their internal politics - but your ten page blank verse soliloquy to Yu Ying about the evils of Communism was even better. Writing to Stokes with perfect usage of le subjunctif to protest police violence in les banlieues? Chapeau! Like you, I believe strongly in collective punishment, especially when kiddos are involved. Well-run school? Classical language? Obvi just a front for those rootless cosmopolitans/globalists, wink wink.

Dumb.

Sela was also set up to focus on the "culture and people of contemporary Israel" (see below). Most of the Hebrew materials are, of course, are from Israel or involve Israel. You can't have a Hebrew immersion school that does not get into Israeli culture and political issues. For some (for example, Palestinians) that may be a non-starter.

"In addition, as students learn the Hebrew language they will also be exposed to the culture and people of
contemporary Israel. And this culture is uniquely equipped to provide students with a model of creativity
and innovation that can inspire them, and equip them, with practical values and skills for life. Israel is
unusual and notable in its culture, which is very young and yet provides extraordinarily fertile ground for
creativity."

Interesting.

This is from the Sela charter application:

"In addition to the materials mentioned above, and because HLPCS [Sela] is committed to the Hebrew language
as a core curricular element, we will align our Social Studies curriculum to this language by looking at
modern Israel as a model for both democracy and diversity."

Does Yu Ying describe modern China as a "model for both democracy and diversity"?

Israel is a democracy and one of the most diverse countries I have ever visited.

As an Orthodox Jew who used to live in Israel, I’ll say the “Israel is a democracy” line was a lot more convincing in 1966 or even 1992. The current corruption scandals, attempts to hamstring the judiciary, and the embrace of openly anti-democratic fringe figures by Likud makes this line utterly unconvincing to anyone paying attention.

Where were you posting from? Presumably not DC at that hour on Shabbat?

I am myself a tradition-minded Israeli-American who is no fan of the current government in Israel and I agree in general, though I wouldn't have chosen the dates you listed. BUT, Israel is hardly the only country currently led by a regrettably right wing government or influenced by extremists. We've already discussed the hypocrisy of posters who are A-OK with a school that doesn't put China in scare quotes. If Marine Le Pen wins the next election, which doesn't seem too far fetched, I don't expect these posters to suddenly insist we close schools that teach about France in French, either. There's something else motivating this criticism of Sela.

Pure whataboutism.

The main point is that 80% of the kids at Sela are below grade level in math and English, the Hebrew instruction is not great either, and they are learning a niche language with virtually no practical value to them.

The fact is that most of the kids who end up there were shut out of Chinese/Spanish/French charters or other charters and have lousy in-bounds options.

Cite?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Question: how much do people think Sela is tied to the terrrrrible politics of Israel these days? Does the Hebrew-is-one-country's-language-only thing mean it is inextricably linked to Israel's internal fights over whether it is a democracy with the rule of law, the interminable insurgency and settler radicalism, and the general/growing international perception that it is operating an apartheid state (in all but name)?

I for one spent most of my life thinking Israel was like the U.S., founded on great principles mixed with some problems but headed the right direction, but the past thirty years seem to have been an uneven slide toward emphasizing everything bad about it. (The U.S. has been a bit like this too, but nowhere near the scope of Israel's drama.)

Wanted to say I loved your brilliant letter to Mundo Verde telling them to take down those awful Dominican Republic, Salvadoran, and Mexican flags because of your strong opinions on their internal politics - but your ten page blank verse soliloquy to Yu Ying about the evils of Communism was even better. Writing to Stokes with perfect usage of le subjunctif to protest police violence in les banlieues? Chapeau! Like you, I believe strongly in collective punishment, especially when kiddos are involved. Well-run school? Classical language? Obvi just a front for those rootless cosmopolitans/globalists, wink wink.

Dumb.

Sela was also set up to focus on the "culture and people of contemporary Israel" (see below). Most of the Hebrew materials are, of course, are from Israel or involve Israel. You can't have a Hebrew immersion school that does not get into Israeli culture and political issues. For some (for example, Palestinians) that may be a non-starter.

"In addition, as students learn the Hebrew language they will also be exposed to the culture and people of
contemporary Israel. And this culture is uniquely equipped to provide students with a model of creativity
and innovation that can inspire them, and equip them, with practical values and skills for life. Israel is
unusual and notable in its culture, which is very young and yet provides extraordinarily fertile ground for
creativity."

Interesting.

This is from the Sela charter application:

"In addition to the materials mentioned above, and because HLPCS [Sela] is committed to the Hebrew language
as a core curricular element, we will align our Social Studies curriculum to this language by looking at
modern Israel as a model for both democracy and diversity."

Does Yu Ying describe modern China as a "model for both democracy and diversity"?

Israel is a democracy and one of the most diverse countries I have ever visited.

As an Orthodox Jew who used to live in Israel, I’ll say the “Israel is a democracy” line was a lot more convincing in 1966 or even 1992. The current corruption scandals, attempts to hamstring the judiciary, and the embrace of openly anti-democratic fringe figures by Likud makes this line utterly unconvincing to anyone paying attention.

Where were you posting from? Presumably not DC at that hour on Shabbat?

I am myself a tradition-minded Israeli-American who is no fan of the current government in Israel and I agree in general, though I wouldn't have chosen the dates you listed. BUT, Israel is hardly the only country currently led by a regrettably right wing government or influenced by extremists. We've already discussed the hypocrisy of posters who are A-OK with a school that doesn't put China in scare quotes. If Marine Le Pen wins the next election, which doesn't seem too far fetched, I don't expect these posters to suddenly insist we close schools that teach about France in French, either. There's something else motivating this criticism of Sela.

Pure whataboutism.

The main point is that 80% of the kids at Sela are below grade level in math and English, the Hebrew instruction is not great either, and they are learning a niche language with virtually no practical value to them.

The fact is that most of the kids who end up there were shut out of Chinese/Spanish/French charters or other charters and have lousy in-bounds options.

Crazy is as crazy does. Your stats are wrong. And also you apparently have no idea is what the population of the school is. Try harder, low-information voter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Question: how much do people think Sela is tied to the terrrrrible politics of Israel these days? Does the Hebrew-is-one-country's-language-only thing mean it is inextricably linked to Israel's internal fights over whether it is a democracy with the rule of law, the interminable insurgency and settler radicalism, and the general/growing international perception that it is operating an apartheid state (in all but name)?

I for one spent most of my life thinking Israel was like the U.S., founded on great principles mixed with some problems but headed the right direction, but the past thirty years seem to have been an uneven slide toward emphasizing everything bad about it. (The U.S. has been a bit like this too, but nowhere near the scope of Israel's drama.)

Wanted to say I loved your brilliant letter to Mundo Verde telling them to take down those awful Dominican Republic, Salvadoran, and Mexican flags because of your strong opinions on their internal politics - but your ten page blank verse soliloquy to Yu Ying about the evils of Communism was even better. Writing to Stokes with perfect usage of le subjunctif to protest police violence in les banlieues? Chapeau! Like you, I believe strongly in collective punishment, especially when kiddos are involved. Well-run school? Classical language? Obvi just a front for those rootless cosmopolitans/globalists, wink wink.

Dumb.

Sela was also set up to focus on the "culture and people of contemporary Israel" (see below). Most of the Hebrew materials are, of course, are from Israel or involve Israel. You can't have a Hebrew immersion school that does not get into Israeli culture and political issues. For some (for example, Palestinians) that may be a non-starter.

"In addition, as students learn the Hebrew language they will also be exposed to the culture and people of
contemporary Israel. And this culture is uniquely equipped to provide students with a model of creativity
and innovation that can inspire them, and equip them, with practical values and skills for life. Israel is
unusual and notable in its culture, which is very young and yet provides extraordinarily fertile ground for
creativity."

Interesting.

This is from the Sela charter application:

"In addition to the materials mentioned above, and because HLPCS [Sela] is committed to the Hebrew language
as a core curricular element, we will align our Social Studies curriculum to this language by looking at
modern Israel as a model for both democracy and diversity."

Does Yu Ying describe modern China as a "model for both democracy and diversity"?

Israel is a democracy and one of the most diverse countries I have ever visited.

As an Orthodox Jew who used to live in Israel, I’ll say the “Israel is a democracy” line was a lot more convincing in 1966 or even 1992. The current corruption scandals, attempts to hamstring the judiciary, and the embrace of openly anti-democratic fringe figures by Likud makes this line utterly unconvincing to anyone paying attention.

Where were you posting from? Presumably not DC at that hour on Shabbat?

I am myself a tradition-minded Israeli-American who is no fan of the current government in Israel and I agree in general, though I wouldn't have chosen the dates you listed. BUT, Israel is hardly the only country currently led by a regrettably right wing government or influenced by extremists. We've already discussed the hypocrisy of posters who are A-OK with a school that doesn't put China in scare quotes. If Marine Le Pen wins the next election, which doesn't seem too far fetched, I don't expect these posters to suddenly insist we close schools that teach about France in French, either. There's something else motivating this criticism of Sela.

Pure whataboutism.

The main point is that 80% of the kids at Sela are below grade level in math and English, the Hebrew instruction is not great either, and they are learning a niche language with virtually no practical value to them.

The fact is that most of the kids who end up there were shut out of Chinese/Spanish/French charters or other charters and have lousy in-bounds options.

Crazy is as crazy does. Your stats are wrong. And also you apparently have no idea is what the population of the school is. Try harder, low-information voter.

Wishful thinking. You can lie. The numbers don't.

A staggering 80% of Sela is below-grade in BOTH English and math.

Latest PARCC proficiency scores

Sela

ELA 21.15
Math 21.15

Yu Ying

ELA 48.37
Math 61.96

LAMB

ELA 43.38
Math 46.32

DCB

ELA 45.36
Math 39.34

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Question: how much do people think Sela is tied to the terrrrrible politics of Israel these days? Does the Hebrew-is-one-country's-language-only thing mean it is inextricably linked to Israel's internal fights over whether it is a democracy with the rule of law, the interminable insurgency and settler radicalism, and the general/growing international perception that it is operating an apartheid state (in all but name)?

I for one spent most of my life thinking Israel was like the U.S., founded on great principles mixed with some problems but headed the right direction, but the past thirty years seem to have been an uneven slide toward emphasizing everything bad about it. (The U.S. has been a bit like this too, but nowhere near the scope of Israel's drama.)

Wanted to say I loved your brilliant letter to Mundo Verde telling them to take down those awful Dominican Republic, Salvadoran, and Mexican flags because of your strong opinions on their internal politics - but your ten page blank verse soliloquy to Yu Ying about the evils of Communism was even better. Writing to Stokes with perfect usage of le subjunctif to protest police violence in les banlieues? Chapeau! Like you, I believe strongly in collective punishment, especially when kiddos are involved. Well-run school? Classical language? Obvi just a front for those rootless cosmopolitans/globalists, wink wink.

Dumb.

Sela was also set up to focus on the "culture and people of contemporary Israel" (see below). Most of the Hebrew materials are, of course, are from Israel or involve Israel. You can't have a Hebrew immersion school that does not get into Israeli culture and political issues. For some (for example, Palestinians) that may be a non-starter.

"In addition, as students learn the Hebrew language they will also be exposed to the culture and people of
contemporary Israel. And this culture is uniquely equipped to provide students with a model of creativity
and innovation that can inspire them, and equip them, with practical values and skills for life. Israel is
unusual and notable in its culture, which is very young and yet provides extraordinarily fertile ground for
creativity."

Interesting.

This is from the Sela charter application:

"In addition to the materials mentioned above, and because HLPCS [Sela] is committed to the Hebrew language
as a core curricular element, we will align our Social Studies curriculum to this language by looking at
modern Israel as a model for both democracy and diversity."

Does Yu Ying describe modern China as a "model for both democracy and diversity"?

Israel is a democracy and one of the most diverse countries I have ever visited.

As an Orthodox Jew who used to live in Israel, I’ll say the “Israel is a democracy” line was a lot more convincing in 1966 or even 1992. The current corruption scandals, attempts to hamstring the judiciary, and the embrace of openly anti-democratic fringe figures by Likud makes this line utterly unconvincing to anyone paying attention.

Where were you posting from? Presumably not DC at that hour on Shabbat?

I am myself a tradition-minded Israeli-American who is no fan of the current government in Israel and I agree in general, though I wouldn't have chosen the dates you listed. BUT, Israel is hardly the only country currently led by a regrettably right wing government or influenced by extremists. We've already discussed the hypocrisy of posters who are A-OK with a school that doesn't put China in scare quotes. If Marine Le Pen wins the next election, which doesn't seem too far fetched, I don't expect these posters to suddenly insist we close schools that teach about France in French, either. There's something else motivating this criticism of Sela.

Pure whataboutism.

The main point is that 80% of the kids at Sela are below grade level in math and English, the Hebrew instruction is not great either, and they are learning a niche language with virtually no practical value to them.

The fact is that most of the kids who end up there were shut out of Chinese/Spanish/French charters or other charters and have lousy in-bounds options.

Crazy is as crazy does. Your stats are wrong. And also you apparently have no idea is what the population of the school is. Try harder, low-information voter.

Wishful thinking. You can lie. The numbers don't.

A staggering 80% of Sela is below-grade in BOTH English and math.

Latest PARCC proficiency scores

Sela

ELA 21.15
Math 21.15

Yu Ying

ELA 48.37
Math 61.96

LAMB

ELA 43.38
Math 46.32

DCB

ELA 45.36
Math 39.34

Ok, now compare to schools with similar student bodies... They're doing better

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Question: how much do people think Sela is tied to the terrrrrible politics of Israel these days? Does the Hebrew-is-one-country's-language-only thing mean it is inextricably linked to Israel's internal fights over whether it is a democracy with the rule of law, the interminable insurgency and settler radicalism, and the general/growing international perception that it is operating an apartheid state (in all but name)?

I for one spent most of my life thinking Israel was like the U.S., founded on great principles mixed with some problems but headed the right direction, but the past thirty years seem to have been an uneven slide toward emphasizing everything bad about it. (The U.S. has been a bit like this too, but nowhere near the scope of Israel's drama.)

Wanted to say I loved your brilliant letter to Mundo Verde telling them to take down those awful Dominican Republic, Salvadoran, and Mexican flags because of your strong opinions on their internal politics - but your ten page blank verse soliloquy to Yu Ying about the evils of Communism was even better. Writing to Stokes with perfect usage of le subjunctif to protest police violence in les banlieues? Chapeau! Like you, I believe strongly in collective punishment, especially when kiddos are involved. Well-run school? Classical language? Obvi just a front for those rootless cosmopolitans/globalists, wink wink.

Dumb.

Sela was also set up to focus on the "culture and people of contemporary Israel" (see below). Most of the Hebrew materials are, of course, are from Israel or involve Israel. You can't have a Hebrew immersion school that does not get into Israeli culture and political issues. For some (for example, Palestinians) that may be a non-starter.

"In addition, as students learn the Hebrew language they will also be exposed to the culture and people of
contemporary Israel. And this culture is uniquely equipped to provide students with a model of creativity
and innovation that can inspire them, and equip them, with practical values and skills for life. Israel is
unusual and notable in its culture, which is very young and yet provides extraordinarily fertile ground for
creativity."

Interesting.

This is from the Sela charter application:

"In addition to the materials mentioned above, and because HLPCS [Sela] is committed to the Hebrew language
as a core curricular element, we will align our Social Studies curriculum to this language by looking at
modern Israel as a model for both democracy and diversity."

Does Yu Ying describe modern China as a "model for both democracy and diversity"?

Israel is a democracy and one of the most diverse countries I have ever visited.

As an Orthodox Jew who used to live in Israel, I’ll say the “Israel is a democracy” line was a lot more convincing in 1966 or even 1992. The current corruption scandals, attempts to hamstring the judiciary, and the embrace of openly anti-democratic fringe figures by Likud makes this line utterly unconvincing to anyone paying attention.

Where were you posting from? Presumably not DC at that hour on Shabbat?

I am myself a tradition-minded Israeli-American who is no fan of the current government in Israel and I agree in general, though I wouldn't have chosen the dates you listed. BUT, Israel is hardly the only country currently led by a regrettably right wing government or influenced by extremists. We've already discussed the hypocrisy of posters who are A-OK with a school that doesn't put China in scare quotes. If Marine Le Pen wins the next election, which doesn't seem too far fetched, I don't expect these posters to suddenly insist we close schools that teach about France in French, either. There's something else motivating this criticism of Sela.

Pure whataboutism.

The main point is that 80% of the kids at Sela are below grade level in math and English, the Hebrew instruction is not great either, and they are learning a niche language with virtually no practical value to them.

The fact is that most of the kids who end up there were shut out of Chinese/Spanish/French charters or other charters and have lousy in-bounds options.

Crazy is as crazy does. Your stats are wrong. And also you apparently have no idea is what the population of the school is. Try harder, low-information voter.

Wishful thinking. You can lie. The numbers don't.

A staggering 80% of Sela is below-grade in BOTH English and math.

Latest PARCC proficiency scores

Sela

ELA 21.15
Math 21.15

Yu Ying

ELA 48.37
Math 61.96

LAMB

ELA 43.38
Math 46.32

DCB

ELA 45.36
Math 39.34

Cite

[Anonymous]

Hi - Just found this forum and this page. Why did the PCSB approve a Hebrew Immersion and not maybe ask them to expand to offer Amharic and Arabic which are more widely spoke in the city. As I look through the thread it looks like people got into the politics and religion piece, neither has a place in our city funded schools!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi - Just found this forum and this page. Why did the PCSB approve a Hebrew Immersion and not maybe ask them to expand to offer Amharic and Arabic which are more widely spoke in the city. As I look through the thread it looks like people got into the politics and religion piece, neither has a place in our city funded schools!

You think the PBSB could have turned down and otherwise strong charter application on the grounds that Hebrew is an inappropriate language and they should do Arabic instead? Ok.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi - Just found this forum and this page. Why did the PCSB approve a Hebrew Immersion and not maybe ask them to expand to offer Amharic and Arabic which are more widely spoke in the city. As I look through the thread it looks like people got into the politics and religion piece, neither has a place in our city funded schools!

Perhaps families with an interest in Amharic or Arabic language immersion should take the initiative to create a charter school like the families with an interest in Hebrew language immersion did.

If you're interested in who the school serves and how, I recommended reading the school's FAQ: https://selapcs.org/about/faq/ and this profile in the Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/how-a-hebrew-language-charter-school-found-its-way-to-dc/2018/12/07/b4ca0f3a-f421-11e8-80d0-f7e1948d55f4_story.html

[Anonymous]

I thought there was a school that applied for Arabic immersion charter school? Why not make a school that offers several options including Amharic and others. I think the lack of options and leadership at the board to look for school options that can really help serve the most underserved students in the city. It is true population of students in the city that really need the support of an immersion school would benefit more from French, Amharic, Igbo, Arabic. Have those underserved parents been given support to start a school, a lot of this is based on proximity to power and access. Many of those parents may not know how, doesn’t mean they would not want these options for their children, or that they have not tried.

[Anonymous]

Zombie thread but as well inject some critical thinking.

% students at grade level is not the measure of teaching quality. It is a measure of peer groups academic level. To measure teaching quality, it's better to look at years of growth per year of school.


also, % students at grade level is extra useless when the number is low. A better measure is average performance level (performing 0,1,2,3 grades below nominal grade level)