Global Literacy Through Mandarin Immersion and STEM: Year Three Evaluation Report (2011-2012)

The Minnesota Mandarin Immersion Collaborative (MMIC) contracted with the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI) at the University of Minnesota to carry out an evaluation of its early elementary Chinese immersion programs. The MMIC is comprised four elementary schools in the Hopkins, Minnetonka, and St. Cloud Public School Districts in Minnesota. The schools are: Eisenhower Elementary (Hopkins School District), Excelsior Elementary (Minnetonka School District), Madison Elementary (St. Cloud School District), and Scenic Heights Elementary (Minnetonka School District). The evaluation was funded by a Foreign Language Assistance Program (FLAP) Grant from the Department of Education to Independent School District 270 Hopkins Public Schools. CAREI would like to express their gratitude to Molly Wieland, the MMIC Project Manager, and to the principals of the four participating schools for their assistance with data collection. This report supersedes a prior version. This report has slight corrections to the retention percents listed.In 2009, a Foreign Language Assistance Program (FLAP) grant was awarded by the U.S. Department of Education to the Minnesota Mandarin Immersion Collaborative (MMIC) for the project Global Literacy Through Mandarin Immersion and STEM. The funding was expected to continue for a total of 5 years contingent upon annual renewal approved by Congress. However, in 2011, Congress voted to discontinue all FLAP funding. The 3 years’ of funding received by the MMIC supported early elementary immersion instruction in Mandarin Chinese that begins at the kindergarten level and the development of a curriculum that has a content focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). The schools in the MMIC have added a grade level each year, with the intent of creating the capacity to continue Chinese immersion to grades 7-12. The MMIC contracted with the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI) at the University of Minnesota to serve as the external evaluator of the project. This report presents CAREI’s evaluation of the third year of the grant-funded project. The report includes enrollment and retention data as well as the results of a parent survey and a survey of English teachers (i.e., instructional staff whose positions were in the regular, non-immersion program)