Reply to Immersion ... pros and cons?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/going-beyond-intelligence/202309/second-language-immersion-is-not-always-best-school-choice

An alternative perspective on language immersion[/quote]

Oh that's interesting. Thanks for sharing.

Sounds like bottom line: if you're kid is already doing well AND expressed interest in languages, immersion may be fine but if you've got a SN kid, STEM kid, or kid otherwise very advanced, immersion may not be an ideal choice.

[b]I do think that around here, the immersion programs are just another way to hack the system and have your kid surrounded by other mostly UMC kids or kids whose parents care. Thusly, the immersion has fewer low level students, fewer FARMS students and therefore fewer disruptions. [/b]So in the end, if you're in a crummy pyramid, parents are still going to step on each other to gain these pots in Mcps. [/quote]

Any evidence to support this claim? Are families that enter the lottery for immersion programs disproportionately from high FARMS home schools?[/quote]

I don’t think we’re going to get access to this data but I would guess that yes, families from high FARMS schools are more interested but, no, this isn’t just a way to game the system.  [b]There are always going to be people looking for ways to escape public schools that don’t appear to be as high performing on paper.[/b]  I also think geographically the location of programs encourages more participation from some school clusters than others.  I also would guess there are reasons why people who live in more diverse areas of the country are likely to be some of the people most interested in foreign languages.

But I do disagree that the average immersion family is just trying to hack the system.[/quote]

True, have seen them heard them. when time for ES, they'll try to escape zoned cluster. Other families though simply want to continue their kid's preschool language skills and seek an immersion program for the language.[/quote]

When my kid was in the immersion program at RCF, I remember looking at the directory to test this hypothesis. Nearly every kid in the immersion class was from Silver Spring, the Wheaton part of Kensington or up county. I think 2 kids were from Bethesda. [/quote]

To be fair, though, RCF is adjacent to Silver Spring, and Silver Spring and Wheaton are both extremely densely populated. [/quote]

True. But it’s also close to Bethesda. Clearly Bethesda families aren’t as interested in getting their kids out of their zoned schools.[/quote]

Sure, from this anecdote at least, it would seem that way.  But there are many possible reasons why.  A couple of ideas: Bethesda families often buy into their school pyramids very deliberately and may be less willing/interested in leaving their home schools.  (Note: this is really not the same thing as saying Silver Spring families are desperate to opt out of their home schools.)  And/or Silver Spring families are much more likely to actively seek out foreign language instruction (maybe because they value diversity-- which is why they [b]chose[/b] to live in Silver Spring; or perhaps they speak Spanish at home themselves).  My main point is that Bethesda families participating less in the lottery is not positive evidence that Silver Spring/Wheaton families are using the immersion lottery as a means of escape.[/quote]

You realize sometimes some people do not have a choice in this overpriced county?[/quote]

Of course I do.  I suggested some people choose Silver Spring.  I don’t believe my comment/parenthetical made a broader claim.[/quote]

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