Ward 6 and Miner ES: Grassroots Movement for Dual Language (Mandarin) Program

[Anonymous]

There is a grassroots movement to start a Dual Language (Mandarin) Program at Miner Elementary. The "ground-swell" now includes interest from inbound ANC commissioners, CHPSPO, members of the PTO --and of course neighborhood parents. There is support in the conversation continuing and seeing where it goes.

That conversation is continuing in two venues next month:
June 13 @ 1:00 - Rosedale Rec Center (1701 Gales Street): A screening of "Speaking in Tongues" a documentary about Dual Language programs, followed by a Q&A about Dual Language programs and the possibility of starting one at Miner ES. This is likely to provide "intro-level" information as it is at the very beginning of the conversation.

June 11 @ 7:00 - Tyler ES (1001 G St SE): Community Forum hosted by Tyler Elementary School, CHPSPO and DC Immersion Project that will provide more in-depth information, including a presentation of scholarly research for those who are already at Tyler as well as for families just starting to think about this.
Would it be possible for you to share this information via your website/blog? Both events are free and open to the meetings.

If can't make those meetings, but want to be a part of the conversation -- please let me know: gimbiya AT gmail DOT com

[Anonymous]

Sounds exciting! Hope it can work out!!

[Anonymous]

Can't wait to attend. Mandarin at Miner sounds great. Glad to see some movement on all the potential upcoming Dual Language schools.

[Anonymous]

Over 17% of students at Miner are homeless. Providing a curriculum that transfers well to other schools, and can be joined mid-year if necessary, is very important for those students. I cannot think of something much more opposed to that than Mandarin immersion.

However, if the hope is to get a program like Tyler's where there are single and dual-language classrooms in each grade, and the organizers expect all the homeless kids will go in the English-only track, I commend them for their creativity. Some parents will do almost anything--including have their kids learn a language most of them cannot support at home--in order to keep away from poor people.

[Anonymous]

I have a slightly different take on this. Something close to 25 percent of Miner students tested as proficient in ELAs last year. Why would introducing Mandarin, as opposed to more intensive interventions focused on mastering basic skills in English, be a good use of resources?

[Anonymous]

Does not seem like the best use of DCPS resources quite frankly.

[Anonymous]

why aren't you hosting one of the meetings at DC General so the families there can more easily participate, and you can get feedback on their feelings about teaching Mandarin? There is a playroom there staffed by Homeless Children's Playtime Project, so they might be able to connect you with the shelter operators and see if there's a room you could use on a night that HCPP is operating (so parents don't have to bring kids to the meeting if they don't want to).

[Anonymous]

Is this the best school for starting mandarin in DCPS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Over 17% of students at Miner are homeless. Providing a curriculum that transfers well to other schools, and can be joined mid-year if necessary, is very important for those students. I cannot think of something much more opposed to that than Mandarin immersion.

However, if the hope is to get a program like Tyler's where there are single and dual-language classrooms in each grade, and the organizers expect all the homeless kids will go in the English-only track, I commend them for their creativity. Some parents will do almost anything--including have their kids learn a language most of them cannot support at home--in order to keep away from poor people.

If DCPS opened a Mandarin immersion program at JKLMM then you would be complaining that DCPS is opening a program that appeals to HSES parents in the "high rent" district leaving out poor kids by distance. Opening a Mandarin immersion program at Miner or JKLMM, DCPS can't win. Someone will always be bitching. Probably easier to not offer Mandarin immersion (or any other specialized program) to make the peanut gallery happy.

[Anonymous]

doesn't Miner feed to EH? Will EH start offering advanced Mandarin when the students are middle school age or is this just a way to get to Yu Ying/DCI via a side door? I thought EH offered French, so wouldn't that make more sense? Really Spanish would be the best due to the many many Spanish speaking nannies in the neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

Gosh. Such a negative spin on what would be a wonderful program. You can't win for losing in this city. And I bet all of the supposed homeless advocates don't have children at Miner or live in the community. I hope the organizers will ignore them and their irrelevant thoughts and go full steam ahead. There's always this assumption that we need to coddle "the poors" and they couldn't possibly want an innovative immersion program. It's pretty condescending. I'm just lucky we're at a wonderful immersion school- with a large cohort of FARMs children who are amazing and are thriving very well. You almost have to wonder if there isn't some hidden agendy from naysayers. Perhaps they want slots for themselves and so they'd rather to pretend to care about poor children when really they want immersion for themselves.

[Anonymous]

I would support a Dual Language (Urdu) Program at Payne. It's about as practical as offering Mandarin at Miner.

[Anonymous]

I agree with PP. Tyler is basically two schools - one for poor kids and one for middle class kids. Kids in the regular classrooms get screwed, and if any "behaviors" pop up in the spanish program, they promptly kick the kid into the regular program.

Don't do this at Miner. Really, just don't. Tyler should be a warning to all schools who try to do this. The dual language program does absolutely nothing to "lift up" the poor kids. It just adds segregation.

[Anonymous]

Just another gimmick for high-SES to separate away from default students (including homeless). Why not just have an honor's track? The result is the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree with PP. Tyler is basically two schools - one for poor kids and one for middle class kids. Kids in the regular classrooms get screwed, and if any "behaviors" pop up in the spanish program, they promptly kick the kid into the regular program.

Don't do this at Miner. Really, just don't. Tyler should be a warning to all schools who try to do this. The dual language program does absolutely nothing to "lift up" the poor kids. It just adds segregation.

If you want your kid in a safe classroom, move off the Hill.