A result of concerned parents who were eager to see “dual language education in languages other than the French and Spanish programs” in the Brooklyn area, New York City’s Public School 147 (PS 147) is now an English-Japanese dual language school.
According to the article by DualLanguageSchools.org, the Williamsburg Dual Language Program began in 2014 and while “the inaugural class is in 3rd grade… the program plans to continue to expand with this class until all six grade levels (K-5) have at least one JDLP classroom.”
However, starting a dual language program in a less popular target language has not been without its tribulations. The article mentions a few concerns the program had at its inception: finding funding for staff, finding certified and qualified teachers and staff, and “recruiting, enrolling and retaining enough Japanese-speaking students in each grade in order to maintain the required rations of Japanese speakers to non-Japanese speakers.”
The faculty of the Williamsburg Dual Language Program have not shied away from these issues, but rather have approached such concerns with zeal and commitment to bettering the dual language community:
1.“The Williamsburg Dual Language Program has created an abundance of resources for families to support their child’s education outside of the classroom setting.”
Some teachers share their lessons on websites and parents are encouraged to use online forms of communication (i.e. social media) to share ideas and resources.
2. “The program plans to implement after-school support days to help students and their families keep up with the extra academic work of the Japanese program.”
Educators and administrators are working together to make students’ transition into the dual language program as seamless as possible.
3.“Likewise, [the Williamsburg Dual Language Program] plans to run a Japanese-language enrichment workshop to share its love of Japanese language and culture with the entire school community.”
The school plans to provide more outreach to the community through public events such as breakfast sales, New Year photo booths, game nights, and multicultural exchange events, in hopes of promoting a better understanding of different cultural perspectives and cultural tolerance as well as support for the program.
4. “Communication is critical.”
There is an emphasis on parent-teacher-student communication. Administration and educators ask parents to come forward with any questions or concerns so that no one is left in the dark. As the article says, “It is important for both parties – parents and educators – to understand and recognize that they share the same goal in creating a nurturing environment for a student’s success.”
Educators and administrators at Williamsburg Dual Language Program intend to have their student achieve Seals of Biliteracy at their high school graduation.
If you are interested in reading more about the Williamsburg Dual Language Program, please find the article here.
