Seventh International Conference on Immersion and Dual Language Education

Strand III: Program Design, Development and Evaluation

Mandarin

A small, rural Midwestern elementary began an immersion program as part of an intense effort to transform the school culture and community in the face of increasing accountability measures. Combined with a K-14 Spanish program, the Mandarin immersion program won the state’s association of school board’s education excellence award for its innovation and academic success. The author presents a qualitative case history of the program, leadership changes and concerns, as well as the effort to engage the parents and community to keep the program alive and well. In addition, quantitative data will be shared as to the performance of immersion students relative to those from traditional classrooms as well as parental responses to a board-directed survey. As educational leaders consider creating their own immersion programs, it is important to examine the range of program outcomes. For a short while, the promise of multilingualism transformed this small community.