Why are so many families interested in Dual Language?

[Anonymous]

Wow, so many salty people, or should I say maybe just 2. Heck it might be the same person over and over.
I guess when people feel like their ‘parenting skills’ are attacked this is what happens.

Thank you to the people who actually answered the question, I have a better idea now. Perhaps I should have put this in the relationship thread or something, this was advice kind of having to do with that.. Maybe a Mod will move it because this is becoming less about why parents go nuts over DL and how Spanish is so special and important in this world and how dare I not 100% agree that it’s the best.


Yes all languages are beautiful and important but you don’t see me telling people to go learn Japanese, it’s just not practical. Unless you want to learn it, and most 3-4 y/o don’t.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP is ignorant. Can't wait until OP becomes a parent.

I almost feel like it's a troll

Same. Also, how is she a full-fledged teacher at 21?

A teacher program is 4 years. In HS 2 years counted as undergrad, I earned an associates. Thus college was about 2.5 years since some courses didn’t transfer. I know DC isn’t so behind that they don’t know about this.
It’s not like I’m 16, now that would be amazing.

I’m sorry it seems ignorant. But few comments have been about why parents are getting so anxious and sometimes (from what I have actually seen) crazy about DL.

[Anonymous]

Here's a link to an article that summarizes the research on brain effects of DL. Basically to me seems you become a kinder and more understanding person. So not a captain of industry or wolf of wall street.

https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/11/29/497943749/6-potential-brain-benefits-of-bilingual-education

[Anonymous]

Actually, Spanish is a world language and much more widely spoken all over the world by both native speakers and for those who learn it as an additional language. In contrast, Mandarin is not. It is spoken almost entirely by Chinese people in China and in the Chinese diaspora. And many, many Chinese don't speak it at all or speak it only as a second language. So it's not nearly as useful for business as you might think. In addition, Mandarin is much, much harder for English speakers to learn than is Spanish.

[Anonymous]

Many people are interested in the positive effects of language learning on brain development.

The economic effects depend on where you live. Interestingly, because of supply , Spanish language knowledge may offer less of a premium in places where there are many native speakers. One study found the greatest premium comes from knowing German.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.economist.com/prospero/2014/03/11/johnson-what-is-a-foreign-language-worth

However, knowing a language also gives you more opportunities. You may not have access to higher paying jobs due to knowing a second language, but you can apply for a broader array of jobs, live abroad if you wish, and run businesses that tap into the Latin American market. I have a bilingual friend who does marketing.for large US firms in South America. It keeps the kids in private school.

You can also connect with more people. I grew up in CA. I traveled to Mexico quite a bit, had friends whose parents only spoke Spanish etc.

[Anonymous]

I’m going to be flames but ...

Dual language gives many white people something to say to calm their flyover country down about sending kids to school in DC.

“Yes many schools in DC are not very good. But at my kid’s school they are learning in both languages which will be such an advantage and makes it worth staying in the city...”

Then there’s the unconscious (or maybe conscious) bias, not said out loud. A DC dual language school will have some poor kids, but they will be mostly Latino kids and their parents have a great work ethic and will support their kids’ education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m going to be flames but ...

Dual language gives many white people something to say to calm their flyover country down about sending kids to school in DC.

“Yes many schools in DC are not very good. But at my kid’s school they are learning in both languages which will be such an advantage and makes it worth staying in the city...”

Then there’s the unconscious (or maybe conscious) bias, not said out loud. A DC dual language school will have some poor kids, but they will be mostly Latino kids and their parents have a great work ethic and will support their kids’ education.

Yep, your rational is all completely wrong why parents send their kids to DL. Period.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Uhhh. I was with you until you said Spanish. Personally I think kids should be exposed to languages but not expected to learn, because doing it right requires intensive, immersive learning and it’s often not done well

But I use Spanish all the time so I don’t know what you’re talking about there.

+1. Not sure where OP is coming from but Spanish by far is the 2nd most common language in this country. I see ads on a regular basis looking for applicants that can speak Spanish. Huge advantage in any service field in this country

Ditto, my SIL got her job at a large construction firm because she was a spanish major and fluent in spanish. Worked there for several years and she's now basically a project manager (which normally requires an engineering degree, but she learned on the job).

[Anonymous]

Here is my take on why is it so widely desired in DC..

All parents want a good education for their children. May affordable neighborhoods in DC do not have good schools. Language immersion has been a means to draw potentially high performing students (children from high SES families) into schools in transitioning neighborhoods and charters schools. Parents like it because they see a way that their children will be challenged even if the broad population in a particular school is somewhat unknown. It is a means to self-select your children's peers.

More broadly in the DC region it is a multi-cultural area, many people have travelled broadly and they see the benefit of being bilingual and want that for their kids.

My kids did not go to a dual language elementary school, I tried in the lottery but was not successful and ultimately we had a strong school path for them so I did not lose any sleep about it.. They started a foreign language in 6th grade (at Deal). One chose Spanish and one chose French. We let them choose what interests them, I do not burden my children with what I think will give them a corporate advantage later in life. My children have been exposed to many international families as their peers in school and friends and they see the value of speaking multiple languages.

My advice to OP. No need to overthink it. Also, wait a while to have kids, you are very young to be married already, do not rush things.

[Anonymous]

While I strongly disagree with the disparagement of Spanish, I share OP's confusion as to why dual language is such an obsession in DC. Yes, there are some studies that show it can have a positive impact on brain development. There's also literature showing the educational focuses on STEM, arts/music, social emotional learning, etc. can have positive impacts on brain development. Yet I hear so many more people clamoring for dual language programs than anything else. My guess is it's a combination of limited paths through middle school from non-dual language programs, excitement over an educational trend, and maybe a little fear from affluent and/or white families about demographics in some schools.

If you look at the trajectory of language translation technology its abundantly clear that multi-lingualism is not going to be a necessary 21st century skill. So if you love languages or your family is multi-lingual, great. But I for one would much rather my kid learn to code simultaneous translation apps or follow his passion for art than spend all that mental space on immersion.

[Anonymous]

+1. We definitely wouldn't bother with immersion if we didn't speak the language of immersion at home. Immersion that isn't heavily reinforced outside school isn't worth the heavy loss of instructional hours in English to us.

[Anonymous]

It's sad to see parents with no global perspective.

[Anonymous]

If you lived in Barcelona and didn't realize you were frequently hearing Catalan not Spanish, I have little hope for the rest of your analysis.

[Anonymous]

Why are we even arguing with OP? She's pompous, not very bright, and clueless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here is my take on why is it so widely desired in DC..

All parents want a good education for their children. May affordable neighborhoods in DC do not have good schools. Language immersion has been a means to draw potentially high performing students (children from high SES families) into schools in transitioning neighborhoods and charters schools. Parents like it because they see a way that their children will be challenged even if the broad population in a particular school is somewhat unknown. It is a means to self-select your children's peers.

More broadly in the DC region it is a multi-cultural area, many people have travelled broadly and they see the benefit of being bilingual and want that for their kids.

My kids did not go to a dual language elementary school, I tried in the lottery but was not successful and ultimately we had a strong school path for them so I did not lose any sleep about it.. They started a foreign language in 6th grade (at Deal). One chose Spanish and one chose French. We let them choose what interests them, I do not burden my children with what I think will give them a corporate advantage later in life. My children have been exposed to many international families as their peers in school and friends and they see the value of speaking multiple languages.

My advice to OP. No need to overthink it. Also, wait a while to have kids, you are very young to be married already, do not rush things.

This. The language immersion charters offer a better peer group than the crappy DCPS schools in gentrifying neighborhoods, and the brain development research gives the parents a "legitimate reason" for choosing the school instead of just fleeing their IB DCPS. There are a few exceptions, but that's the reason for 99% of families at the language immersion schools if they're being honest.

That's why these language immersion charters get so few students from the strong WOTP school boundaries.

OP, one thing to look at with your fiancee is what you give up at each school to get the language. At our HRC DCI feeder, the ELA is really suffering. They also do a terrible job with special needs and advanced kids. If you don't have an average neurotypical kid, then I recommend to stay away from charters. It's been a disaster for our advanced SN kids (this is more common than you might think). Charters also have very little oversight. There are layers of oversight for DCPS schools, but the charter school board has been clear that they don't get involved with any issues unless there's fraud (embezzlement etc) so there's no help there.

The parent association basically does fund raising and a little bit of infomercial type stuff. They're shills for the admin and don't really advocate for parents. I think most charters are this way. It's very different from the strong WOTP DCPS schools that have a strong parent group to advocate. After being in both systems, I strongly recommend moving in boundary for good schools for ES, MS, and HS (DC or suburbs). The families will stay for the schools and you'll have a strong community.