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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]

As an outsider with no stake in the game (I have two of my children at WIS, and they will stay despite the crushing cost), I'm curious about parents' blanket acceptance that the 50/50 model is crucial. WIS is not 50/50 at all. There are 4 main languages of instruction (Spanish, French, or Dutch; and English for all), and although you will hear many languages on the playground, English is absolutely the main playground language, because it's the only language that all children know. Many children come in knowing none of the 4 academic languages because they speak one or more other languages at home, yet they all pick up both English and the other chosen academic language (oral and written) very quickly, and most are considered bilingual/biliterate in English and the other WIS language at some point during primary school.

So while I certainly understand why parents might WANT a 50/50 model for political and social reasons, is the research really unequivocal that it's the only good model academically? If so, many international and U.N. schools would seem to be doing it all wrong.[/quote]

Also as an interested outsider (Mundo Verde parent), I think a key difference is the full immersion for preK and K at WIS:

http://www.wis.edu/admissions/language-options-and-requirements/index.aspx

I don't think Oyster does this, so the kids aren't really getting 50% exposure in Spanish, because that would depend on a 50-50 balance in spoken language among the kids, which is obviously not the case.  So in order to really push to get more Spanish exposure, you would need to have instruction only in Spanish for the younger kids, so they can build up stronger Spanish proficiency, before switching to 50-50 instruction in first grade so they can also work on English reading, vocab, etc.

It's interesting as a Mundo Verde parent because last year the school was 50-50, but they noticed a similar pattern to Oyster of English being the dominant language between the kids themselves, so they didn't get enough Spanish exposure, so they switched to full time Spanish instruction for ps3 and pk4 this year, and ps3, pk4 and K next year and beyond.  Like the LSAT report said, if you can't control your enrollment to truly balance the students out, you need to do something to get more Spanish exposure for the kids.  It seems like full immersion in the younger years is a part of this.[/quote]

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