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The Redwood City School District’s Mandarin Immersion program made a splash on the national scene recently.
The spotlight, however, falls on bilingual education as it continues to contend with long-standing challenges, including funding concerns and a shortage of qualified teachers.
Last month, Principal Winnie Chen of Orion Alternative School – which houses the Mandarin program for transitional kindergartners through fifth-graders – led a well-attended training session at the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) annual convention in New Orleans.
“Presenting at a national convention does speak overall to the strength of ideas that are presented in a proposal,” ACTFL Executive Director Larry Paska said in an interview with the Pulse. “We do get thousands of proposals. There are only so many session slots to go around, so it’s exciting to know that someone who has an accepted proposal and is able to come and present does get that feedback reflected back in their community.”
ACTFL described Chen’s workshop as giving educators practical strategies to enhance students’ engagement and Mandarin proficiency through a data-driven, schoolwide intervention model.
Her session drew more than 50 educators from across the multilingual teaching field, Chen said in a letter to parents. “Several attendees expressed appreciation for how thoughtfully our school approaches multilingual learner support. … Many participants were impressed by the level of structure and intentionality our team has built over the years.”
In her presentation, Chen said, she highlighted how the Mandarin program uses consistent assessments, progress monitoring and differentiated instruction to provide targeted student support and help all learners, from those who are struggling to those who have reached advanced proficiency.
Chen’s seminar “speaks to the quality of the practices taking place at Orion,” district spokesperson Jorge Quintana said in an email to the Pulse. “We are fortunate to have strong expertise within our schools, and throughout the school year, many (district) educators present at local, regional and national gatherings to share their expertise.”
Over the years, the district has gained a reputation as a leader in bilingual instruction, including Spanish, which continues through middle school.
Just before Chen’s participation at the ACTFL conference, the Mandarin program at Orion took gold this year in the Bay Area Parent magazine’s list of best language-immersion offerings on the Peninsula.
“California has set a goal for students to graduate with strong multilingual skills, recognizing the academic, cultural and economic benefits of bilingualism,” Quintana said. The district “has been working toward this goal for many years and is ahead of the curve in offering structured language programs that start early and continue across grade levels.”
According to the state Department of Education, it aims to have half of all K–12 students in California participate in programs that lead to proficiency in at least two languages by 2030. Another state goal is to see three out of four students be proficient in two or more languages by 2040.
“Programs such as Mandarin Immersion are intentionally designed for students to learn academic subjects in both English and the target language over time,” Quintana said. “Families have shared with us that they are drawn to these programs because they support academic achievement, cultural understanding and long-term opportunities for students.”
Meghan O’Reilly-Green’s four children have all been going through the district’s Mandarin program – three at Orion and the eldest at Kennedy Middle.
“My children are totally fluent in Mandarin,” O’Reilly-Green said. “This is a valuable skill for future employment. However, I came to realize that the bicultural fluency of being able to understand both Eastern and Western values and cultures is the most important skill my children have developed.”
Other parents expressed similar sentiments.
Students are “not just learning a language,” Rujeko Nyachoto said. “They’re gaining confidence, pride and a deeper appreciation for the world.”
Karla Palacios has noticed that her child has become “more productive, open to learn something new (and) aware of how important it is to keep going forward,” she said.
While the district’s bilingual programs continue to draw praise, many obstacles remain on the path forward for dual-language instruction.
“Similarly to other schools throughout the nation, (the district) faces challenges in recruiting and retaining qualified bilingual teachers,” Quintana said. “This challenge is common across public education.”
The state had projected 90 approved bilingual-teacher preparation programs by 2025, according to a CalMatters article earlier this year, but only 48 were listed.
Limited funding has also posed a considerable barrier to bilingual efforts. In 2021, the state provided $10 million in grants to expand dual-language education, CalMatters reported, but those funds have been exhausted.
Among the ways the district is tackling the hurdles is working “with regional colleges and universities to attract and prepare future language teachers and to strengthen the pipeline of qualified educators,” Quintana said. “The district also invests in collaboration and professional learning to maintain strong, consistent programs.”
Spotlighting bilingual programs like Orion’s also goes a long way, Paska said.
“The more programs like (Chen’s) can be uplifted, the more that educators like her can feel supported to come to conferences wherever they are whether it’s in the Bay Area, around the state or ACTFL,” he said. “The more we uplift, the more we have information as a society to guide us that language learning makes such a big difference.”
We do have funding challenges, like all public schools, but we do not have problems finding teachers.
There is no PHD program for learning how to be an amazing Mandarin Immersion teacher. We are emerging as a nationally known training site with over 150 teacher applying for only 1 position last year.
We truly get our pick of the cream of the crop, and it is one reason that students achieve success!