Anonymous
Post 08/04/2014 18:32     Subject: Re:Who do I write to to advocate that Yu Ying join the common lottery?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Because (as has been stated in this forum ad nauseum) preference based on language ability is against the charter law. Perhaps the Chinese community could channel their frustration towards getting the law changed. YY would love to be able to offer preference based on Chinese fluency, but it is not allowed to do so.


I don't believe this for a second. The fact that YY has never set up a system for dialect transition (common at Mandarin immersion programs elsewhere in the country) and won't hire American native speakers tells me that they don't care one way or the other if Chinese-speaking kids are enrolled.

They insist in teaching immigrant and ABC kids who are fluent in another dialect Mandarin as though they don't speak Chinese. Their working assumption is that no student is fully bilingual in Chinese and English. We turned down a spot after getting to grips with this arrangement for our dialect-speaking child. There's nothing anybody can do because only a bilingual family would care, and there are few of us here.





Tax dollars to pay for the most convenient way for your kid to learn a particular language are not an entitlement.

While the research supports two way immersion, those schools in Europe all manage to teach second languages without using that method. Students may not be fully bilingual, but they are fasr more functional in as second language than most Americans.

It can be really exhausting living in a city of professional complainers.
Anonymous
Post 08/04/2014 17:32     Subject: Re:Who do I write to to advocate that Yu Ying join the common lottery?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:You're full of it. The Amherst MA school knocks itself out to attract and retain local native speakers. A college friend, a Cantonese-speaker, is an administrator there. She troops around to places where Chinese families gather in Western Mass trying to drum up interest. The school freely allows bilingual kids to replace drop-outs, just like the MoCo schools and others we've visited in San Fran and NYC.

The bottom line is that YY is popular, and works for the families it attracts (those not raising their kids bilingual). They're not shooting for the stars where the cultural and language component goes. It's good enough for DC in 2014, no matter who does or doesn't write in.




No. Everyone has to enter through the lottery and they cannot give preferences to kids who already know Chinese. I asked them b/c we are moving there and my kid knows Chinese and will be entering in upper elementary.

It's in Hadley, BTW, not Amherst.


Thank you PP for actually stating facts instead of trying to wind everyone up through false/incorrect information. I will never understand why some people who clearly have been engaged in this conversation for some time still refuse to acknowledge that this is a rule outside of YY's ability to change. And some of us (maybe not you PP or anyone else in this thread, but many out there) actually believe that equal access to the few spots for all DC residents is actually more important than giving preference to native speakers, so some of us would still fight for the current arrangement even if it was on the table to change it.

But for now, it's not a rule YY created or has the power to change. All the repetitive frustration towards YY for not changing it is a waste of everyone's energy.


You are welcome. The school in MA explained that their original charter only allowed them to take new students up to 1st grade w/o preference for language but the MA legislature changed the law for charters so that they now have to fill all spots from attrition including the upper grades without preference for language. The MA legislature seems to agree with you that since charter schools are supported by tax payers everyone should have equal access without regard to race, color, sex.... and language proficiency.

Anonymous
Post 08/04/2014 16:52     Subject: Re:Who do I write to to advocate that Yu Ying join the common lottery?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:You're full of it. The Amherst MA school knocks itself out to attract and retain local native speakers. A college friend, a Cantonese-speaker, is an administrator there. She troops around to places where Chinese families gather in Western Mass trying to drum up interest. The school freely allows bilingual kids to replace drop-outs, just like the MoCo schools and others we've visited in San Fran and NYC.

The bottom line is that YY is popular, and works for the families it attracts (those not raising their kids bilingual). They're not shooting for the stars where the cultural and language component goes. It's good enough for DC in 2014, no matter who does or doesn't write in.




No. Everyone has to enter through the lottery and they cannot give preferences to kids who already know Chinese. I asked them b/c we are moving there and my kid knows Chinese and will be entering in upper elementary.

It's in Hadley, BTW, not Amherst.


Thank you PP for actually stating facts instead of trying to wind everyone up through false/incorrect information. I will never understand why some people who clearly have been engaged in this conversation for some time still refuse to acknowledge that this is a rule outside of YY's ability to change. And some of us (maybe not you PP or anyone else in this thread, but many out there) actually believe that equal access to the few spots for all DC residents is actually more important than giving preference to native speakers, so some of us would still fight for the current arrangement even if it was on the table to change it.

But for now, it's not a rule YY created or has the power to change. All the repetitive frustration towards YY for not changing it is a waste of everyone's energy.
Anonymous
Post 08/04/2014 16:46     Subject: Re:Who do I write to to advocate that Yu Ying join the common lottery?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:YY certainly doesn't care what you think, and neither does DC Charter. We've written letters asking for ethnic Chinese and native speakers in their administration (signed by members of various local Chinese community organizations) and nobody replies.


Illegal. Perhaps your efforts might be better spent to see that some native speakers have teaching and administrative degrees and experience. When there are openings, those folks can apply.


This is the true, absolute bottom line. People like the "Hire ethnic Chinese speakers in administration" poster want everyone to break the rules for what they want, but otherwise want the rules to apply.
my kid is at another highly regarded charter school so I have no dog in this fight. I completely agree with the Chinese community that is frustrated about the lack of a Chinese leadership and a Chinese immersion school. I also agree with their frustrations that they cannot get preference. And any other school with Chinese immersion. it is known that a two way model works the best. So why on earth we have a generic lottery whereby native speakers are not given preference is beyond me.



Because (as has been stated in this forum ad nauseum) preference based on language ability is against the charter law. Perhaps the Chinese community could channel their frustration towards getting the law changed. YY would love to be able to offer preference based on Chinese fluency, but it is not allowed to do so.
No shit sherlock. And has been stated ad nauseum, this is a stupid law, which actually contradicts the science. Certainly, people can use their energy to try to get the law to change. There's a large contigent of people who would actually fight those effors. Because the odds of getting in are so slim to begin with, preference would lower the number of available seats. This is the real problem people have with preference. It might stop their precious snowflake from getting in.




You'd be less of an ass if you did something effective in real life instead of bitching on the internet.


I think this person you're replying to is behaviorally-incapable of being less of an ass. But I like your optimism!
Anonymous
Post 08/04/2014 16:45     Subject: Who do I write to to advocate that Yu Ying join the common lottery?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:No shit sherlock. And has been stated ad nauseum, this is a stupid law, which actually contradicts the science. Certainly, people can use their energy to try to get the law to change. There's a large contigent of people who would actually fight those effors. Because the odds of getting in are so slim to begin with, preference would lower the number of available seats. This is the real problem people have with preference. It might stop their precious snowflake from getting in.


You realize when this "stupid" law was writen in this mid-90s it was actually something that made a lot of sense for the city?

I know you've been living here for 5 minutes - but maybe take some history of charters in to account before you call something stupid.

The newer charters and newer parents might try and respect those who fought hard to even get the laws on the books so parents like you could be assholes about the right to even attend schools like YY.


Best.Post.EVER!!!!
Anonymous
Post 08/04/2014 16:36     Subject: Who do I write to to advocate that Yu Ying join the common lottery?

Anonymous wrote:I commend the parent who paid a line-stander. Perhaps he absolutely couldn't afford to take off of work and decided it was cheaper to pay someone a few dollars and not call out from work. Kudos to this parent. Parents who give a damn about their kids will do whatever it takes to get them ahead. While haters watch their kids do without, some parents go to bat all the way and their kids benefit. Such are the brakes of life!


Since this is the same PP who is saying anyone can pay someone or just get up earlier, I absolutely think this person is just trying to stir the pot and incite further negativity about the school. I don't think for a second that anyone - even ridiculously entitled idiots on DCUM - would categorize the tens (hundreds?) of people who did NOT cheat by hiring a line-stander as "being a hater who lets their own kids do without".

This is just someone who wants to piss everyone off and watch the fireworks.
Anonymous
Post 08/04/2014 16:14     Subject: Re:Who do I write to to advocate that Yu Ying join the common lottery?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Because (as has been stated in this forum ad nauseum) preference based on language ability is against the charter law. Perhaps the Chinese community could channel their frustration towards getting the law changed. YY would love to be able to offer preference based on Chinese fluency, but it is not allowed to do so.


I don't believe this for a second. The fact that YY has never set up a system for dialect transition (common at Mandarin immersion programs elsewhere in the country) and won't hire American native speakers tells me that they don't care one way or the other if Chinese-speaking kids are enrolled.

They insist in teaching immigrant and ABC kids who are fluent in another dialect Mandarin as though they don't speak Chinese. Their working assumption is that no student is fully bilingual in Chinese and English. We turned down a spot after getting to grips with this arrangement for our dialect-speaking child. There's nothing anybody can do because only a bilingual family would care, and there are few of us here.





I've bolded the important part of your statement. There are few families in DC who meet this criteria, and since there is no way to offer them preference, there is no reason at this point to put significant resources towards supporting these kinds of kids. I can't fault them if they're focusing on getting reading scores up or supporting their special needs kids first.
Anonymous
Post 08/04/2014 16:13     Subject: Re:Who do I write to to advocate that Yu Ying join the common lottery?

Anonymous wrote:You're full of it. The Amherst MA school knocks itself out to attract and retain local native speakers. A college friend, a Cantonese-speaker, is an administrator there. She troops around to places where Chinese families gather in Western Mass trying to drum up interest. The school freely allows bilingual kids to replace drop-outs, just like the MoCo schools and others we've visited in San Fran and NYC.

The bottom line is that YY is popular, and works for the families it attracts (those not raising their kids bilingual). They're not shooting for the stars where the cultural and language component goes. It's good enough for DC in 2014, no matter who does or doesn't write in.




No. Everyone has to enter through the lottery and they cannot give preferences to kids who already know Chinese. I asked them b/c we are moving there and my kid knows Chinese and will be entering in upper elementary.

It's in Hadley, BTW, not Amherst.
Anonymous
Post 08/04/2014 16:08     Subject: Re:Who do I write to to advocate that Yu Ying join the common lottery?

You're full of it. The Amherst MA school knocks itself out to attract and retain local native speakers. A college friend, a Cantonese-speaker, is an administrator there. She troops around to places where Chinese families gather in Western Mass trying to drum up interest. The school freely allows bilingual kids to replace drop-outs, just like the MoCo schools and others we've visited in San Fran and NYC.

The bottom line is that YY is popular, and works for the families it attracts (those not raising their kids bilingual). They're not shooting for the stars where the cultural and language component goes. It's good enough for DC in 2014, no matter who does or doesn't write in.




Anonymous
Post 08/04/2014 16:01     Subject: Who do I write to to advocate that Yu Ying join the common lottery?

Most public charter Chinese immersion schools in other parts of the country like Yu Ying do not give preferences to native speakers and/or to kids with prior knowledge of Mandarin b/c it's against the law to discriminate.

Most, in fact, have to allow kids with no prior Chinese to enter and enroll for all grades, not just til 2nd like Yu Ying, if they happen to win the lottery.

Everyone (including native speakers) has to apply and take their chances in the lottery. See Yinghua academy in MN, Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion school in MA, the Chinese immersion public schools in San Francisco, San Diego, etc.

If you want a school that gives preferences for native speakers, you should go private. There is a very good one in Princeton, New Jersey.
Anonymous
Post 08/04/2014 15:50     Subject: Re:Who do I write to to advocate that Yu Ying join the common lottery?

Anonymous wrote:
Because (as has been stated in this forum ad nauseum) preference based on language ability is against the charter law. Perhaps the Chinese community could channel their frustration towards getting the law changed. YY would love to be able to offer preference based on Chinese fluency, but it is not allowed to do so.


I don't believe this for a second. The fact that YY has never set up a system for dialect transition (common at Mandarin immersion programs elsewhere in the country) and won't hire American native speakers tells me that they don't care one way or the other if Chinese-speaking kids are enrolled.

They insist in teaching immigrant and ABC kids who are fluent in another dialect Mandarin as though they don't speak Chinese. Their working assumption is that no student is fully bilingual in Chinese and English. We turned down a spot after getting to grips with this arrangement for our dialect-speaking child. There's nothing anybody can do because only a bilingual family would care, and there are few of us here.



Anonymous
Post 08/04/2014 14:47     Subject: Re:Who do I write to to advocate that Yu Ying join the common lottery?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:YY certainly doesn't care what you think, and neither does DC Charter. We've written letters asking for ethnic Chinese and native speakers in their administration (signed by members of various local Chinese community organizations) and nobody replies.


Illegal. Perhaps your efforts might be better spent to see that some native speakers have teaching and administrative degrees and experience. When there are openings, those folks can apply.


This is the true, absolute bottom line. People like the "Hire ethnic Chinese speakers in administration" poster want everyone to break the rules for what they want, but otherwise want the rules to apply.
my kid is at another highly regarded charter school so I have no dog in this fight. I completely agree with the Chinese community that is frustrated about the lack of a Chinese leadership and a Chinese immersion school. I also agree with their frustrations that they cannot get preference. And any other school with Chinese immersion. it is known that a two way model works the best. So why on earth we have a generic lottery whereby native speakers are not given preference is beyond me.



Because (as has been stated in this forum ad nauseum) preference based on language ability is against the charter law. Perhaps the Chinese community could channel their frustration towards getting the law changed. YY would love to be able to offer preference based on Chinese fluency, but it is not allowed to do so.
No shit sherlock. And has been stated ad nauseum, this is a stupid law, which actually contradicts the science. Certainly, people can use their energy to try to get the law to change. There's a large contigent of people who would actually fight those effors. Because the odds of getting in are so slim to begin with, preference would lower the number of available seats. This is the real problem people have with preference. It might stop their precious snowflake from getting in.




You'd be less of an ass if you did something effective in real life instead of bitching on the internet.
Anonymous
Post 08/04/2014 14:28     Subject: Who do I write to to advocate that Yu Ying join the common lottery?

You realize when this "stupid" law was writen in this mid-90s it was actually something that made a lot of sense for the city?

I know you've been living here for 5 minutes - but maybe take some history of charters in to account before you call something stupid.

The newer charters and newer parents might try and respect those who fought hard to even get the laws on the books so parents like you could be assholes about the right to even attend schools like YY.
Anonymous
Post 08/04/2014 14:17     Subject: Re:Who do I write to to advocate that Yu Ying join the common lottery?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:YY certainly doesn't care what you think, and neither does DC Charter. We've written letters asking for ethnic Chinese and native speakers in their administration (signed by members of various local Chinese community organizations) and nobody replies.


Illegal. Perhaps your efforts might be better spent to see that some native speakers have teaching and administrative degrees and experience. When there are openings, those folks can apply.


This is the true, absolute bottom line. People like the "Hire ethnic Chinese speakers in administration" poster want everyone to break the rules for what they want, but otherwise want the rules to apply.
my kid is at another highly regarded charter school so I have no dog in this fight. I completely agree with the Chinese community that is frustrated about the lack of a Chinese leadership and a Chinese immersion school. I also agree with their frustrations that they cannot get preference. And any other school with Chinese immersion. it is known that a two way model works the best. So why on earth we have a generic lottery whereby native speakers are not given preference is beyond me.



Because (as has been stated in this forum ad nauseum) preference based on language ability is against the charter law. Perhaps the Chinese community could channel their frustration towards getting the law changed. YY would love to be able to offer preference based on Chinese fluency, but it is not allowed to do so.
No shit sherlock. And has been stated ad nauseum, this is a stupid law, which actually contradicts the science. Certainly, people can use their energy to try to get the law to change. There's a large contigent of people who would actually fight those effors. Because the odds of getting in are so slim to begin with, preference would lower the number of available seats. This is the real problem people have with preference. It might stop their precious snowflake from getting in.
Anonymous
Post 08/04/2014 13:17     Subject: Re:Who do I write to to advocate that Yu Ying join the common lottery?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:YY certainly doesn't care what you think, and neither does DC Charter. We've written letters asking for ethnic Chinese and native speakers in their administration (signed by members of various local Chinese community organizations) and nobody replies.


Illegal. Perhaps your efforts might be better spent to see that some native speakers have teaching and administrative degrees and experience. When there are openings, those folks can apply.


This is the true, absolute bottom line. People like the "Hire ethnic Chinese speakers in administration" poster want everyone to break the rules for what they want, but otherwise want the rules to apply.
my kid is at another highly regarded charter school so I have no dog in this fight. I completely agree with the Chinese community that is frustrated about the lack of a Chinese leadership and a Chinese immersion school. I also agree with their frustrations that they cannot get preference. And any other school with Chinese immersion. it is known that a two way model works the best. So why on earth we have a generic lottery whereby native speakers are not given preference is beyond me.



Because (as has been stated in this forum ad nauseum) preference based on language ability is against the charter law. Perhaps the Chinese community could channel their frustration towards getting the law changed. YY would love to be able to offer preference based on Chinese fluency, but it is not allowed to do so.