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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Please don't crucify me for asking, but I really don't understand why so many parents prioritize language immersion. I fell prey to this myself and was crushed when we didn't get our top pick in the lottery. However, now that i know my child better, I'm fairly certain DC would have struggled in a dual language environment. And as a result, we would have struggled as a family to support DC.

Are there academic studies that show immersion is really better? Or is this this just the current parent obsession?[/quote]

We had the option of a language immersion or English track and we chose the English track and it was the right decision.  We were more interested in the kids learning how to read and write well in English and be able to learn math and science in English.   The foreign language track can be another obstacle for some kids.[/quote]

Good for you.  Language immersion programs are faddish.  They come at the expense of learning English.  If an American family has no real connection to to the culture or language, and the language isn't Spanish, the likelihood that the kid will still speak the language as teenagers, let alone adults, isn't high.  New research indicates that the famous "cognitive boost" bilingual adults enjoy is pretty much BS. [/quote]

I applaud you for knowing you and your children’s limitations. I’m being sincere. It annoys me when people think about enrolling their 2nd grader in an immersion school, or when they do nothing to help the language along.

My elementary school kid reads better in his target language than in English, but he has spoken it since birth with me. I’ll let him know this is just a fad. [/quote]

If a family can't or doesn't bother to reinforce the target language at home, and/or doesn't continue with the immersion through around age 12, watch the kids lose it later.  You meet Oyster grads at Deal whose Spanish is only a tad better than that of classmates who started learning Spanish in 6th grade.  I spoke good Russian (which my parents don't speak) at age 8.  I can't hardly speak a word now.  [/quote]

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