Community-Based Heritage Language Schools (CBHL)
Languages:
Chinese Mandarin
Part of a larger non-profit organization
Chinese School of Delaware
Hockessin, Delaware 19707
Stay Curious - Join a community of lifelong learners! Institute Background
The school has a two-track system. A heritage track is suitable for those learners who have exposure to Chinese at home or communities where learners live. An immersion track is suitable for those learners who have no background in Chinese but have an interest in learning Chinese.
Aside from language lessons, the school also provides a rich set of cultural classes to both tracks of students. The cultural classes include Chinese chess, Chinese calligraphy, Dough Figuring, Chinese History, Abacas, Chinese Folk Dance, Chinese Music Instruments, Bean Bags, Chinese cooking, etc.
The school also partnered with a local Chinese community center for Chinese festival events such as Chinese New Year, Moon Festival, Chinese Festival, etc. All these activities are also open to the public regardless whether they are our students or not.
- Access
- Excellence
Improve Access for all learners in more languages
Percentage of types Students
Heritage Language Learners 30%
Multilingual Learners 70%
Learners who speak a language that is linguistically related to the target language %
Learners who speak a language that is culturally (but not linguistically) related to the target language %
Types of language learners are enrolled
- African Americans
- People of Color
- Heritage language learners (second generation or more)
- Recent immigrants
Programs available in your school
- Classes with age-appropriate instruction for different age groups
How do the programs identified above meet the needs of learners of different ages in your school
Each grade follows a prescribed curriculum with lesson plans and textbooks.
What additional activities do you implement at your school to attract and maintain enrollment of students in different groups
Cultural classes and community events during Chinese-related festivals, holidays, or events.
Main reasons students attend your school
- To connect with their heritage in a meaningful way
- To gain literacy in the language, in addition to oral communication skills
- To communicate with relatives in the home country
- To communicate with relatives or others in the language community in the U.S.
- To gain bilingual proficiency for future professional use
- To expose more in Chinese language and culture to prepare for high school or universities in the future.
Do you offer different pathways of study and engagement to align with the interests and goals of the learners in your school?
For learners who just graduated from the school, the school also offers extended studies in Chinese beyond the 8th-grade level if there are enough interests.
How does your school strive to provide incentives for students to enroll in the language programs?
- Community and/or parent outreach
- Community functions (e.g. culture events, clubs, etc.)
- Low cost to attend the school.
Different types of classes meet the needs of students
By separating heritage and immersion track learners, they will have different learning paces and achieve higher confidence levels for each group. This is especially important when contests such as speech contests, character recognition contests, recitation contests, etc. are grouped in different categories.
Types of instructional formats your school offer
- In-person
How the instructional formats available at your school enable learners from different geographical areas and other distance-related constraints to receive instruction
During the pandemic, the school is using primarily Zoom for classes. At this point, some parents have expressed interest to continue the Zoom classes and some parents prefer in-person. The school is investigating the possibility to offer hybrid as a long-term format to deliver classes.
What are the main sources of financial support for your school
- Tuition
- Home/heritage country
- Private donations from individuals
- Fundraising events
Does your school offer financial assistance to students?
No
How important is the impact of the financial assistance on student enrollment at your school
1
Which of these common competing commitments faced by the learners most negatively impact student enrollment and/or attendance
Name
After-school activities in the mainstream schoo
Homework and other academic pursuits
Extra-curricular activities (sports, music, hobbies)
Religious obligations
Family obligations
Work
Field name
Attendance
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
Yes
Enrollment
No
No
Yes
No
No
No
No
How has your school been able to accommodate your students’ competing commitments so that they can attend your school?
Teachers will adjust homework due dates or exam dates to accommodate students' time conflicts. Some teachers also offer online materials for those students who missed the classes.
How has your school been able to accommodate your students’ competing commitments so that they can attend your school?
Teachers will adjust homework due dates or exam dates to accommodate students' time conflicts. Some teachers also offer online materials for those students who missed the classes.
Does your school provide information to parents and other stakeholders about essential school information?
Yes
What are the most effective communications methods with parents and stakeholders?
emails and Facebook postings.
What aspects of these methods or strategies for reaching out to parents create effective means of sharing information?
exchange information, Q&As, solicit parents' ideas or suggestions.
Does your school communicate with the community at large about events and other information?
Yes
Please describe any educational and cultural activities, seasonal events, as well as other programs and opportunities that your school makes available to the community at large.
Chinese New Year celebration, Moon Festival celebration.
How do these activities create linkages to your community of students, teachers, stakeholders?
by partnering with the Chinese community center, the school and the community center have the opportunities to engage community members, introduce the school and facility, and showcase students' work and performances.
List the percentage of students by age group
PreK-K students 10%
Kindergarten students 20 %
Elementary school students 40 %
Middle school students (grades 6-8) 25 %
Adults 5 %
Excellence through transparency and accountability
Curriculum and instruction
- Curriculum and instruction that build on the linguistic skills and cultural knowledge that learners bring to the classroom
Outcomes
- The opportunity for students outside the formal education system to earn Seals of Biliteracy or other recognition of bilingual and biliteracy ability
Professional Development
- Provision of ongoing professional development for educators and other personnel
- Regular faculty meetings and opportunities to work in professional clusters
Vision, Strategic Planning, and Priorities
- Well-defined and publicized rules and regulations of school operation that are specified and followed by the school board and the faculty, in meetings and in planning
Transparency, Accountability, and Outreach
- Professional and consistent engagement with the HL community and the larger community to recruit students and teachers and motivate parents and stakeholders to support and advance the aims of the CBHLS
Institution Information
Year School was Established
1971
Languages taught at your school
Chinese Mandarin
Average Number of Students
66
Average Number of Teachers
10
Saturday or Sunday Classes
Number of weeks per year: 3
Number of hours per week: 32