The educational bureaucrats in Portland Public Schools are running amuck with no sense of, much less any urgency about, responding to the new global realities that confront us. How else to explain putting a limit of five students each year permitted to transfer to continue Mandarin or Japanese immersion in high school. Maybe there is some reasonable interpretation or explanation for the data on the Portland Public Schools chart “2012-13 High School Lottery Results” (here). I do not understand why any qualified student would be prevented from transferring. If anyone knows, let me know. Perhaps someone has the full data on the Mandarin immersion classes at Cleveland and the Japanese immersion classes at Grant.
For Cleveland High School’s Mandarin immersion program for 9th grade, it shows that 34 students applied for transfers, 5 were approved, 5 waitlisted, 3 denied – no space, 2 denied – criteria not met, and 19 N/A – approved to another choice.
For Grant High School’s Japanese immersion programs for 9th grade, it shows that 54 students applied for transfers, 5 were approved, 5 waitlisted, 4 denied – no space, 12 denied – criteria not met, and 28 N/A – approved to another choice.
What kind of strategic madness is this? Do we really want to let educational bureaucrats cripple our economic and national security futures in this way?
Do the all-wise educational bureaucrats really think permitting only 5 students per year to transfer to continue in both Mandarin and Japanese immersions is adequate for Portland’s future. If so, they don’t see the same world I do.
I do not recall these limitations on language immersion programs as parts of the recent high school redesign process.
It’s folly! Strategic folly of the most profound kind!
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