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DC Public and Public Charter Schools
Lack of Language Instruction in elementary school
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Anonymous
| We're sending our kid to a public school, but are really, really discouraged by the lack of any language classes. What have other parents done to compensate? |
Anonymous
| after care programs in DCPS sometimes offer language -- does yours? |
Anonymous
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How old is your child and what school are you going into for fall term '09? Do you speak any languages other than English at home?
I know of 3 immersion language options in DC Charter Schools: Chinese, French, and Spanish. If your DC can't get into one of those programs in Pre-K, but you can supplement through weekend language lessons then you could always apply at a later grade. There will be some attrition at every school as families move away, etc. In a specialized language immersion program, only students with some background in the language will be able to join in later in say, 1st or 2nd grade. |
Anonymous
| Our DCPS school used to offer a foreign language, but it got cut, so there are after school classes offered now, but from what I've heard they're pretty awful. This (together with the lackluster music and art offerings) was what sent us to private after 5th grade. My kids LOVE their foreign language, art, and music classes now. |
Anonymous
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If language instruction is important to you, email the chancellor, the mayor and your council member. Do it early and do it often.
We still have language instruction at our DCPS, but it sure isn't because of anything that was given to us in the budget. Fenty often speaks about attracting families to DCPS. Be vocal, tell if you want language instruction and ask that he financially support it in the existing programs across DCPS. |
Anonymous
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With all due respect PP, the Chancellor promised IB programs to several schools and then killed the funding. In reality, if you want FLES (Foreign Language in Elementary School) you have basically two options: a wealthy school west of the park (with the exception of Shepherd which is a wealthy school just east of the park) or a hot-ticket charter school. That's it.
Oh, except for Thomson, downtown - the little engine that could. |
Anonymous
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Poster 21:30, question for you, and it's completely sincere. What is your inside track on this info? I'm a Thomson parent and I'd love to know. I'm guessing your the same person that posted (what I thought) was a very accurate analysis of the chances for IB survival in DCPS in another post.
We're trying so hard at Thomson. We've grown our enrollment and tried to provide the sorts of programming (IB, Chinese) that parents are asking for, but it just doesn't seem to matter. |
Anonymous
Please say more on what you mean by "it just doesn't seem to matter" -- to other parents, the school admin, the mayor? I am curious. Thanks! |
Anonymous
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To the main administration. I doubt the mayor has noticed or that he even cares.
Parents want these sort of programs for their children. |
Anonymous
I think PP is referring to the Chancellor. Thomson has a good school community and an outstanding Principal. However, it's one thing for Michelle Rhee to say she supports something, but talk is cheap you know? It's something else altogether to put funding behind her "support." Thomson has racked up Embassy partnerships, corporate partnerships, piano donations, Chinese lessons, and IB funding because of Gladys Camp's personal appeals, dedication, and grant-writing skills. PP, this may not help but you're not the only school community frustrated with Chancellor Rhee. |
Anonymous
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Thanks 13:46 for your kind words.
Glad to hear others are frustrated with Rhee as well. She says all the right things, but I think she's only made things worse for our principal and teachers. Most importantly, Rhee is making it harder on the children and that's hard to watch. |
Anonymous
| I hear you, my friend. She and the "Education Mayor" are certainly not doing their best by my children's schools. Good luck to you. Thomson earned and deserves its good press and good reputation. Most schools are not as lucky. Dr. Camp is arguably the best Principal in DCPS. |
Anonymous
| Do you mind sharing your school? |
Anonymous
How hard is it to get FLES at a school? The school system has nothing to do with it. FLES is a long-standing language program that runs independent of school systems. At our MCPS school FLES is organized by the PTA and takes place before or after school, like any other outside program. The rub is that parents have to pay for it -- about $200 a year for class once a week the whole year. The issue for FLES isn't on DCPS. IB is another thing -- it requires integration into the daily curriculum and provision of immersion-quality language classes during the school day. Even wealthy schools west of the park can't really pay for IB themselves, although they probably have more organizational and ad hoc fundraising resources to support it enough to get it moving. The program at Shepherd was supported by DCPS bilingual education department to some degree (don't know the finances though). I do think that IB in DC would increase school quality, but it makes most sense where it can be carried thru to the high school level of the cluster. (What's the use of learning French in an IB elementary if you go to high school and there's no appropriate FR class for you and your peers? ) There are not many IB high schools in DC. |
Anonymous
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When most of the children at your school are so poor that their families live on less than $40k a year, having the PTA raise the money for FLES is, quite frankly, impossible.
Most children in DCPS are very, very poor. Something that is often forgotten on this board. I would argue FLES is on DCPS. |