Bilingual Education

I thought I knew *a lot* about dual immersion schools because I’ve been researching them for both the blog and our book for almost four years now, but now that my daughter has been in one for almost four months I have a whole new understanding of them. I know the topic of bilingual education as a whole is so confusing for parents because there are so many different programs (ELL, ESL, full immersion, partial immersion, etc) and because, dependingRead More ...

One of my favorite cultural traditions has to be the art of storytelling. It comes in many forms. Whether it be the simple rhyme that a mother uses, a legend, or the personal stories of an individual. Many times stories are the only record of a person’s life. They are a legacy they pass down to their children. That’s what has always fascinated me about this art form, and how personal it can be. My mom has been a storytellerRead More ...

  My son is only 17 months and I find myself already thinking of preschool applications! Yes it is true, if I want Enzo to start next year, I have to apply now.  I cannot believe I have to start thinking about what school I would like him to attend next year. I mean, I feel like I am just discovering what kind of kid he is becoming! As I have started this process, I have so many thoughts aboutRead More ...

I’m the product of a bilingual school and I will be forever grateful to my parents for making the decision to give me such an amazing educational opportunity because I’m sure my life would not be what it is today had I gone to a regular school. Unfortunately, I’m currently not able to do the same for my kids. As you’ve probably read here before, my options in terms of bilingual or dual language immersion schools in Denver are prettyRead More ...

If there’s one bill I wished I could just pay off for once and for all, it’s my student loan. Back in 1991 when I applied for my first loan, I really had no idea what I was getting myself into, but it was really my only option at the time because my parents hadn’t really saved or set aside any funds specifically for college. Now that my girl has finally started Kindergarten, I’m actually starting to feel guilty thatRead More ...

Yesterday was the first day of the 2012 “Education Nation” National Summit, taking place from Sept. 23-25 in New York City. The three-day event – which draws more than 300 of the country’s thought leaders in education, government, business, philanthropy and media, is focusing on successful examples of innovation in education, including bilingual education. Summit sessions, moderated by top NBC News journalists, and NBC’s on-air programming will highlight a series of case studies from communities across the country, providing toolsRead More ...

I heard this really interesting story on NPR the other day about Macon, Georgia public schools which are now becoming Mandarin immersion programs. While I thought this was a cool idea, I was shocked by some of the community reactions. There was anxiety on the part of some parents due to the fact that the Chinese instructors were being funded by local nonprofits backed by the Chinese government. NPR reported that, “Some parents see a Communist regime enacting its geopolitical agenda onRead More ...

Special thanks to Terri on Facebook for sharing this video with us. The 4-minute video takes us into the lives of a family that has made the decision to enroll their twins into a dual immersion program in San Rafael Elementary in Pasadena, CA. The beauty of the story is that the parents don’t speak Spanish, yet recognize the importance of a bilingual upbringing for their kids. The girl, Abby, and her twin brother are in second grade and youRead More ...