English vs. Immersion Programs in MCPS Elementary Schools

[Anonymous]

Our zoned school has a language immersion program that many in the neighborhood rave about but an English one that doesn't receive as good reviews - to the point where many in the neighborhood send their kids to other schools if they are not accepted into the immersion program. My question is, if it's the same school and same school district with presumably the same curriculum, how could the two programs differ so much? I realize there are benefits to an immersion program, not only in terms of learning a new language, but the brain processes that come with that. I am looking beyond the language aspect and purely at the curriculum. Are the children really learning anything different? Or, is the parents' aversion to the English program that it attracts kids who cannot even apply to the immersion b/c they have learning issues or already speak the language at home? I have a child in pre-K so I am wondering about these issues for next year. Thank you.

[Anonymous]

Our child started K this year at our home elementary that also houses an immersion program. We applied to immersion but did not win the lottery. The class sizes on the Engish side are very small. In fact, some people in the neighborhood were not interested in immersion due to the fact that the English class sizes are always smaller. The English K teachers are experienced and seem very good. I don't hear much negative about it from neighbors who are actually in the school community. There is a significant ESOL population but I'm not sure that has anything to do with how much my child is learning. The kids all seem to be moving along. One negative is I can't communicate with some of the kids' parents since their English is limited and I don't speak their language.

[Anonymous]

I'll echo a bit what PP said. I'm on the neighborhood side of an immersion by lottery only/neighborhood school. We have really low class sizes (14-16 in my kids' classes in K through 2 over the years). The instructional program is the same, just one is in English the other in the other language. My children have had good, experienced teachers throughout. I've heard parents come into our school and express concern at the diversity in the neighborhood portion of the school. So, it makes me wonder if one reason for the difference of opinion has nothing to do with the quality of education. Rather, it's the school makeup.

We do see many more immersion parents who volunteer and are able to help out at the school, come on field trips, etc., than non-immersion parents. And I have encountered language/culture barriers in trying to schedule play dates and things. Immersion parents have less of that because they tend to self-select and all be similar in terms of economic stability and parental involvement. Our school also has an immersion coordinator, who tends to deal with parent issues on the immersion side. She's far easier to deal with than the overall school principal, who the neighborhood folks talk with. So, that also colors the impression.

My suggestion is that you call and ask to visit the school. Sit in on classes in both languages and see for yourself.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for the responses. Those are reassuring (in the event we don't get into the immersion or choose not to) and confirms a bit of what I have suspected, that the English side is a bit "too diverse" for some of the parents. I will take the advice to visit the school and sit in on the classes.

[sassafras007]

I teach on the non-immerson side of a school and love it!