Reply to the Key/ASFS building switch...

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]

Thank you for posting this (I am the poster you were responding to).  This is definitely a more nuanced set of data, for all of the reasons you note.  The most interesting one is the idea that kids who are struggling drop out of immersion.  I know some kids don't make the transition from Key to Gunston because of distance, and others drop out of Gunston and head to Swanson for both academic and social reasons.  I wonder how they end up doing?[/quote]

There are a LOT of kids who drop out of immersion before they even finish 5th grade.  I think it averages about 30 kids in a grade from 1st-5th grade.  We are an immersion family drop out- and I have spoken with a ton of immersion drop out's.  I am not aware of any real study that APS has done- in the same report linked above there are some interviews with immersion drop outs- but it is still more anecdotal than true research.   
If you look at the research that Dr. Meyers, former Key Principal did- kids with learning issues do as well in immersion as in non-immersion environments- e.g. they do badly both places.  
That being said- her research tracked those that continued in immersion, not those that withdrew.  
In talking to parents- both who dropped out and who continued on- most will justify their choice.  
Teachers frequently encourage the drop out.  Again- looking at that study teachers are quoted as saying that kids are in immersion because their parents want them there, not because they want to be there- and they should be allowed to leave.  Also, that they should be kicked out after 2nd grade if they don't know enough Spanish.   I get the appeal of this thinking- but it leads to more self-selection.  A teacher in a neighborhood school could never say to a parent- 'hey, I think you are the one who wants Larla to learn to read, Larla's not that interested and I think Larla would be better off not going to school.'
Also- while this is obviously a generalization, and there are some glaring exceptions- I think the teachers outside of immersion are generally better.  The school appears to overlook a lot of mediocre teaching b/c the teacher is bilingual, and that's really hard to find.  [/quote]

Sounds a little bitter.[/quote]

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