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An article by reporter Huimin Xu appeared in the Chinese Language World Journal about Yu Ying on Nov. 18, 2009. The article featured Yu Ying as a FLAP grant recepient and IB candidate. You may view the article here: Washington Yu Ying Public Charter School Receives $870,000 Grant
A translation is below:
Washington Yu Ying Public Charter School Receives $870,000 Grant
[Huimin Xu, Washington D.C] A recent article in the Time Magazine featured the Yinghua Academy in Minneapolis--a Chinese immersion elementary school that has been awarded the FLAP grant (Foreign Language Assistance Program) from the US Department of Education. Yu Ying, a public charter school founded last year in Northeast Washington D.C., was one of the three individual schools in the nation to receive this grant.
Washington Yu Ying PCS is the first Chinese immersion public charter school in Washington D.C. with the Alternating Day Immersion Model. It was founded last Fall and had received over 250 applications for the 2009-2010 school year. After the admission lottery, 65 students were accepted--less than 26% of the applicant pool.
Mary Shaffner, co-founder and Executive Director of Yu Ying, says the impetus to establish the school was simply to find a proper Chinese learning environment for her daughter in the beginning. "I never thought the idea would get such a phenomenal response!" she said. She also added that it is the consensus among Yu Ying parents that Chinese is the language of the future, and they all support Yu Ying's mission.
Currently Yu Ying offers two classes per grade from 4 year old Pre-Kindergarten to second grade. The school will add one grade each year until 8th grade.
Yu Ying currently has approximately 200 students with different ethnic backgrounds and from different areas in the District of Columbia. In each class, there are about two to three students growing up in Chinese speaking families.
D.C. public schools have long been performing poorly. Under intervention of the district government, public charter schools have been founded to provide a choice for district residents who seek a high-quality education environment but are unable to afford private school tuition. Shaffner noted that the Office of the State Superintendent of Education funds the school approximately $11,000 per student. The school covers the rest of the cost via fundraising effort or grant application.
Yu Ying has recently been awarded with the FLAP grant (Foreign Language Assistance Program). The grant includes approximately $290,000 each year over the next three years. Shaffner remarked that this grant will cover the expenses for books/equipment purchasing, curriculum development, and assessment/resources development.
In addition to federal funding, Washington Yu Ying PCS has also received “candidate status” from the International Baccalaureate Organization this fall. This means that it is on track and working to achieve World School status in the upcoming years.
Why learning Chinese? Shaffner, who studied Chinese in Taiwan and Mainland China, noted that one in every five people in the world speaks Chinese. She also added that early childhood is a can’t-miss golden window in learning foreign languages. Taking her own five-year-old daughter for example, Shaffner said that her daughter's Chinese has already exceeded her own after one year at Yu Ying. She would even correct Shaffner's Chinese pronunciation on occasions.
There is one lead Chinese teacher and one lead English teacher per grade at Yu Ying, as well as many assistant teachers. With the Alternating Day Immersion Approach, students receive instruction in all subjects, including math, science, language, PE, and art, in both English and Chinese on alternating days. Shaffner, who had visited over thirty schools with bilingual curriculum, remarked that an educator can never be careful enough. All teachers, students, and parents at Yu Ying are all thrilled at the recognition by the US Education Department with FLAP grant award.
Washington Yu Ying PCS currently rents Brady Hall at 4401 8th St. in Northeast DC. The three-year lease will expire in 2010. All admitted DC residents will enjoy free tuition. For application form, please phone 202-536-2503 or email at
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