Yes to PPS French Immersion Program

It’s simple logic. Improvements in transportation and communications are making the world seem smaller. Economic competition has become global. Oregon’s future economic success will depend upon how well our products and services sell in foreign markets. Speaking the languages of thoses markets and having citizens who have spent time in those markets would help us sell goods and services in those markets. Therefore, we should teach more of our K-12 students world languages.

Portland Public Schools (PPS) has the best foreign languages programs in the state of Oregon because has the most foreign language immersion programs. It needs more. That is because even PPS is not fully committed to expanding immersion language programs as a priority. Most, if not all, of PPS’s immersion programs have far more applicants that open slots, resulting in lotteries that leave some students out. These immersion programs expand slowly, so that students are turned away year after year. Why doesn’t PPS expand the programs to meet demand like any other business? Expansion should be a priority. Especially where there are waiting lists of students who did not get in.

Then there are efforts to start immersion programs in new languages. This past week I went to a meeting of a group of parent wishing to start a French immersion program in the public schools. PPS put the burden of proving there is a need for such an immersion program on the parent group, as the Portland Tribune article “Moms want French school in Portland” by Jennifer Anderson reports (here):

They’re working with Portland Public School officials to see what next steps they should take in exploring the viability of starting a new program.

“Of course, starting a new program in the context of an economic shortfall is a tough time, but it has to go through a planning process,” said Mark Crossman, administrator of the district’s language immersion and English Language Learner programs. “They’ll be doing surveys, gathering data which will help them establish a rationale and a partnership to see if it’ll be viable.”

They’ll also be looking to see which school building might have available space and offer their program the best fit.

This is not right. PPS should have the expansion of immersion programs as a priority and do much of the work that they are asking the parents to do. PPS gives some, but not enough, support to expanding immersion programs.

There is, of course, the conflict between the concept of a city-wide system of neighborhood schools and the proliferation of immersion programs, which permit students to choose to leave their neighborhood schools to attend the immersion programs. The Portland Tribune article further reports:

In the competitive world of school choice, however, they’re likely to face their share of criticism from people like Terry Olson, a retired teacher and parent who is an outspoken district watchdog on his blog, http://joesschool.blogs.com.

Olson says he’s not against the immersion concept, but thinks it’s unfair that enrollment slots at existing immersion programs fill up fast, leaving many other students without those language offerings at their neighborhood schools.

The schools are open to all students through the district’s lottery system, with priority going to students who live in the school’s neighborhood boundaries. As capacity allows, many are turned away or placed on waiting lists.

“Public immersion schools tend toward elitism insofar as they skim the best and the brightest from neighborhood programs,” he wrote on his blog last week. “And that leads to further inequity, all on the public dime. You don’t think a French school would attract the upper crust of Portland?”

Besides, he says, the district has other funding priorities at the moment besides establishing special programs.

Axon’s response to such criticisms? Offer more immersion programs, not fewer. “In my opinion, there should be immersion in every elementary school in Portland,” she said. “If not, then some sort of language in the elementary school. Any language will give you the cognitive development.

Many of the existing PPS immersion programs have become, in my opinion, and unfortunately, somewhat elitist. The solution is to expand them and to have as many more programs as there are students to fill them wanting to get in. And, again in my opinion, the critical need for many more multilingual citizens for our economic future means that immersion programs trump neighborhood schools.

PPS should create a French immersion program.

Comments

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In the competitive world of school choice, however, they’re likely to face their share of criticism from people like Terry Olson, a retired teacher and parent who is an outspoken district watchdog on his blog, http://joesschool.blogs.com.

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And, again in my opinion, the critical need for many more multilingual citizens for our economic future means that immersion programs trump neighborhood schools.

[pandora]

Public immersion schools tend toward elitism insofar as they skim the best and the brightest from neighborhood programs,” he wrote on his blog last week. “And that leads to further inequity, all on the public dime. You don’t think a French school would attract the upper crust of Portland?”

[pandora Bracelets]

PPS put the burden of proving there is a need for such an immersion program on the parent group, as the Portland Tribune article “Moms want French school in Portland”

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They’ll also be looking to see which school building might have available space and offer their program the best fit.