Hola! Ciao! Ni-hao! Dual-Language Immersion Programs in LA

Learning a foreign language does not come easily for most. I know that my four years of Spanish classes did little to set me up for fluency. I will, however, take most of the blame. I was too shy to speak up in class for fear my amateur Spanish accent would butcher any attempt at the correct pronunciations. This, along with my skepticism of ever being fluent, lead to the decision to stop taking foreign language classes as soon as my high school requirements were met. Needless to say, I will not be having any type of meaningful conversation in Spanish any time soon.

However, when I came across an article in the LA Times this week on the rise of dual-language immersion programs, I was immediately intrigued – and a tad jealous I wasn’t a part of such a program. The dual-language programs are yielding positive results in Glendale Unified Schools, like many their SAT tutoring programs. Unlike bilingual education, Dual-language immersion programs offer the opportunity of learning a second language to immigrant students as well as native-born American students. The article highlighted a number of advantages these students will receive as a result of these programs.

Benefits of a Dual Language Programs
--Studies of English-Language Learners suggest that learning to read in a child’s first language boosts reading achievement in the second language
--Early bilingualism has been found to aid memory, problem-solving, decision-making and other brain functions
--Children in dual-language immersion programs usually lag in English skills at first, then tend to surpass their counterparts in English-only classes by fifth and sixth grade

For a list of Dual-Language programs in Los Angeles County, visit the links below.

Glendale Unified School District
Pasadena Unified School District
The California Department of Education
For the full Los Angeles Times article click here.

Applying for an Internship - Pointers from an Employer

Internships for high school and college students are becoming more and more popular with good reason – they give students a great opportunity to explore their interests and learn real world skills in a safe environment.

The interview and application process is a new experience for most students, and as a veteran hirer of interns, here are my key pointers for all the prospective interns out there:

Cover Letters and Resumes. Employers don’t expect students to have robust resumes or years of experience to reflect on in a cover letter. What they DO expect is that students display professional maturity:

• Spelling, grammar, and formatting should be impeccable – it shows attention to detail and polish. If you have not graduated from college yet, your writing and grammar are most likely much worse than you think they are (seriously). Get someone more experienced to proofread!
• Cover letters should be SPECIFIC to the particular internship and company. Well-articulated enthusiasm for the company and position is impactful, generic personal statements are not.

The Interview. When evaluating interns (particularly younger ones who are not entering their senior year of college), there are a few key factors that employers look for:

• Maturity – candidates show up on time, look presentable, and acknowledge the fact that they are in a professional environment. Bring a pen, a copy of your resume and cover letter, don’t chew gum, etc.
• Enthusiasm – employers want interns that are genuinely excited to work at their company, not interns whose parents are forcing them to do something “productive” for the summer.
• Personality – an intern’s ability to seamlessly blend into the company environment is very important. No one expects an intern to be a polished professional, but they do expect them to be fun, positive, excited to be working, eager to learn, and easy to work with.
• Intelligence – almost by definition, interns come to the job with little prior knowledge or skills. Employers expect interns to be bright, resourceful, and learn quickly at a wide variety of tasks.
• Volunteerism – Working alongside private SAT tutors and passing on the knowledge you previously learned speaks miles on your resume and interview.
• Etiquette – send a thank you note! It shows maturity and that you care about the internship.



This guide certainly does not cover ALL facets of internships, but hopefully it will give students a better idea of what employers are looking for!

Treadmills in the Classroom

With about eight different internet windows open on my screen and feeling like a computer going into sleep mode, it’s safe to say that I’m struggling in the concentration and energy department. Luckily, my lack of concentration led me to find an article about a school for students with learning disabilities called City Park High School in Saskatoon, Canada where they put treadmills and exercise bikes in their math classroom. Beforehand, over half of the students had ADHD, couldn’t sit still, and struggled to concentrate. However, after 5 months of doing 20 minutes of cardiovascular exercise before doing any math, the students were able to sit and focus. Almost all of the students had jumped a full grade in not only math, but reading and writing as well. Several of the students got off Ritalin and many of the students reported feeling happier, smarter, and much more confident. To read more go to Trusted.MD.

According to Dr. Charles Hillman’s research at the University of Illinois, similar results were found in students without disabilities who showed a 10% increase in their problem solving abilities after spending 30 minutes on a treadmill. "It's good for attention, it's good for how fast individuals process information, and how they perform on cognitive tasks," says Hillman. Meanwhile, students at Naperville Central High School in Chicago who go to PE first thing in the morning and often ride on treadmills in their reading classes have experienced significant reading score increases and math scores up by a factor of 20. To read more about these schools, go to ABC News.

While it is extremely unlikely that all classrooms catch onto the treadmill trend, there are many small adjustments students, parents, tutors and teachers can do in order to reap the benefits of exercise. According to Trusted.MD, it takes at least 20 minutes of sustained activity three times a week to make the difference in behavioral and academic performance.

Students: If playing outside for 20-40 minutes means improving your concentration and your grades, would you do it? Now that spring is here, it is the perfect time to get out and get moving! Also, if you are studying and feel tired or unable to concentrate, take a 5 minute brain break to run around the block or shoot a couple of hoops..just be sure to get back to studying ASAP and don't be afraid to ask for help from your private SAT tutors!

Parents: In most P.E. classes, 80% of the kids are standing around waiting for their turn, or simply trying to avoid participating. Although you may be a firm believer of having your child immediately sit down and do their homework the second they get home from school, you may want to re-consider. According to Trusted.MD, taking 20 to 40 minutes a day for sustained physical activity improves learning and grades in academic subjects as much as actually using that time for the academic subjects themselves. For more information and activity ideas check out ABC News
Tutors/Teachers: Although you probably don’t have treadmills in your classrooms or in students’ living rooms, you can definitely incorporate activity during lessons. I remember learning from a psychology professor that the average person’s attention span is about 2 times their age. For example, a 10 year old can concentrate for 20 minutes. Keeping this in mind, incorporating brain breaks such as jumping jacks or yoga poses every so often can help students re-energize and re-focus rather than struggling to teach an entire lesson without a single break. For brain break ideas read tips from a Naperville Central High School teacher and actual videos of students in action at http://brainbreaks.blogspot.com/

Guest Blogger: Aristotle Circle - National College Admissions Experts

This week, Launch has the tremendous pleasure of showcasing the college admissions know-how of New York's Aristotle Circle (http://www.aristotlecircle.com/). The folks at Aristotle Circle are a phenomenal resource for all college admissions needs. Today's post provides information for writing an exemplary college application.


7 Tips for Touting Your Accomplishments on the College Application:

As you plan to apply to college, it’s important that you summarize your accomplishments in an enticing and precise way. We advocate a “brag sheet,” it’s essentially a resume for your 4 years of college. Unlike a resume you do not need to list the activities in chronological order, instead you focus on putting the most significant experiences first. Contact us for a sample Brag Sheet. Here are our tips to keep in mind as you prepare your college application.

Take notes or keep a journal: One of the best ways to chronicle your achievements throughout high school is to keep a journal or notes on the extracurricular activities you undertake. Record the practice details such as organization names, honors spent, competitions and advisor’s names and contact information. In addition, reflect on what you have learned from being a member of clubs, teams or nonprofit organizations. This will help you keep track of the dates and times as well as give you a sense of all the skills you’ve learned from your experiences.

Start big: Towards the end of your junior year, take inventory of everything you’ve been a part of over the last three years. Include after school clubs, summer programs, sports teams, lessons, part-time jobs, volunteer work, SAT tutoring, and classes that you’ve done particularly well on. By starting broad with your list you’ll be able to step back and look for a pattern in the activities you’ve belonged to and then select the most impressive or most meaningful activities to highlight.

Get feedback: Share your brag sheet with a trusted advisor, relative or college counselor and get his or her feedback. You want to ask someone who may not be familiar with all the experiences you’ve listed on your brag sheet in order to ensure that you’ve provided solid descriptions of your achievements that are easy to understand. In addition to checking for typos, you want to make sure the brag sheet portrays your character, strengths and interests.

Be original: Your experience is unique to you and it tells the story of who you are. Don’t fall into a trap believing that there are a “right” number of activities or a “specific” type of activity college admissions officers will like. Pursue the activities that interest you and use your brag sheet to demonstrate the passion and skills for these activities.

Build a web presence: Many students find that building a blog, web site, Flickr album, YouTube channel or other digital outlet provides a place to display their achievements. Think about a way to use the web to display your talents, this is especially important if the activities you refer to are better portrayed through digital media. Include these links with your brag sheet.

Quantify your achievements: Be sure to include numbers, specific dates and awards on your brag sheet. If you hold a leadership role, include the number of people you oversaw. If you play a sport, include your key stats. Consider including the achievements of any club you were a part of (number of members, amount of money raised, attendees at specific events, etc.) Specific numbers emphasize the breadth of what you have done and demonstrate an attention for detail.

Get personal: College admissions guidance counselors are looking for a way to get to know candidates beyond test scores and grades. Using your brag sheet to portray your commitment to one skill, activity or cause helps tell the story of your personality.

Aristotle Circle (http://www.aristotlecircle.com/) matches parents and students to experts with current insight and inside knowledge of admissions. Aristotle Circle experts are the top admissions professionals, guidance counselors, school administrators, financial aid advisors and child development experts in their fields. Aristotle Circle’s mission is to take the stress and frustration out of the process by giving you a clear path through school admissions.

The 'Usefulness' of College and Emerging Adulthood

While brainstorming the topic of this week’s blog post, inspiration struck when my colleague, Lisa Helmers, discovered her SAT essay prompt from 2005. Here is the prompt preceded by a quote by Philip D. Jordan, author of The Usefulness of Useless Knowledge.

I cannot comprehend those who emphasize or recognize only what is useful. I am concerned that learning for learning's sake is no longer considered desirable, that everything we do and think must be directed toward the solution of a practical problem. More and more we seem to try to teach how to make a good living and not how to live a good life.
Assignment: Do people put too much emphasis on learning practical skills? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.
After reading the prompt, I began to reflect on the merits of the liberal arts education I received as an undergraduate at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC). Certainly, the psychology and philosophy courses I had taken provided me with delicious food for thought. I was exploring concepts and theories that dramatically changed my perception of the world. It was all very exciting!
Looking back, I now wonder if these courses in the social sciences would qualify as “useful" or "useless" knowledge, especially when my private SAT tutors were always talking about other degrees. I also wonder if the “usefulness” of knowledge is the best criterion for defining the value of a college education. For me, college was a four-year lesson in building autonomy, resilience, and self-concept. While learning about Aristotelian Ethics, I was also being schooled in the obligations of adulthood: finding a place to live, managing my finances, and building social networks. College provided a protected space for me to mature and try my hand at life’s inevitable challenges. It turns out that my experience is a fairly common occurrence in the Western world; in fact, Jeffrey Arnett, Professor of Psychology at Clark University, has coined the term “Emerging Adulthood” to describe the time period (often during college) in which adolescents practice adult roles as they transition to adulthood in their twenties. In retrospect, I definitely see myself as the poster child for Emerging Adulthood.
But in today’s age of economic hardship, could Emerging Adulthood become a relic of the (privileged) past? According to journalist and education blogger extraordinaire, Dana Goldstein, the rising price of college paired with the tremendous debt of student loans makes a university education less accessible and less desirable. In 2003,the average accumulated debt for four-year college students was a whopping $24,000. But here lies the timeworn predicament: Do we risk the financial burden of a college education in order to broaden our intellectual horizons, “grow up,” and enter the job market with a B.A.; or, do we attempt to build a career early, find an entry level position, and allow the uncertainties of the job market to mature us?
I am clearly biased toward the benefits of a college education and the privilege of Emerging Adulthood…but my voice is losing its potency beside the arguments of the opposition. Professor X, the anonymous author of In the Basement of the Ivory Tower: Confessions of an Accidental Academic, is an adjunct professor at a prominent community college in his area. He believes that college has become an intolerable expense for underprivileged groups who are solely seeking employment. For example, X wonders, what is the usefulness of a college-level anthropology course to a student who would want nothing more than a salaried administrative assistant position? X’s teacher-student experience is defined by a mutual sense of estrangement and confusion. Teacher and learner stare at each other incredulously, "Is this all really necessary?"
So where do you stand? What was your experience of college and why or why not has it ‘paid off?’ Was the knowledge you learned ‘useful?’ Knowing what you do now, would you advise students, families, and schools to reconsider their approach to higher education? Whaddya think?

Dealing with Admission Decisions

The season for acceptance, waitlist, and rejection is upon us.

It’s a funny feeling dealing with admission notifications. I remember when I was in high school struggling to understand concepts from my private SAT tutors and waiting to hear back from the list of colleges I had applied to –and even though all of my classmates were in the same position (waiting) I remember feeling once the letters (yes, I am old) started to roll in, like I had to deal with my feelings of excitement/devastation/uncertainty “all by myself.”

However, social media has expanded multi-fold since I was in 12th grade, and since then I have watched the number of people sharing their experience with admissions decisions go from mere school-hall-gossip to day-by-play blogs entries that detail every rejection, waitlist, and acceptance notification.

Recently, I have particularly moved by the New York Times’ series that follows six high school students as they blog about their journey through this pivotal time in their lives:

Cherry Creek High: Six Seniors Blog About Their College Quest

Although I am years removed from this particular waiting game, it seems like the more we share our experiences and thoughts, the more we feel like we are not alone: and based on reader response, it becomes more and more apparent that one student’s rejection is another’s acceptance – and that it all works out in the end. Hang in there!

SAT Subject Test Workshops - April 2011

Launch Education Group will be hosting instructional workshops with many SAT tutoring tips that will help students prepare for the most popular SAT Subject Tests: US History, Literature, Biology, and Chemistry.

Click on the image above to obtain details about workshop dates, times, and activities.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Keeping Current

When I was in school back in the 90's (don't laugh, you'll be old too someday), I tried to keep up with current events while learning from my private SAT tutors.  But not really.  I mean, I knew they were something I was supposed to try to keep up with, and I did have some sense of what was going on in the world, but it felt like more of a chore than anything.

Then, in 2000, I went to college, and between the crazy Bush-Gore presidential election, 9/11, and the Iraq War, I found myself becoming genuinely interested in current events.  Further, a lot of the friends I made in college were interested in current events, and we'd talk about them a lot.  So I got into it.

And here's the thing about following current events—when you first start following, it may feel a little forced, but after a little time, the world starts to become really fascinating.

It's all about context.

Picture you start watching a new TV show, like Glee or Lost or Mad Men or American Idol, sometime in the middle of the third season of the show.  Watching the very first episode, you'd be like, "Okay, this is kind of interesting I guess, but I don't really know what's going on and I'm not sure who the characters are."  The next episode you watch will be a bit better—you'll have a handle on some of the key plot lines and you'll remember characters from the first episode.  By your fifth episode, you're totally hooked.  You know all the characters, all the key plot lines, and you can't believe you have to wait another week before the next episode.

It becomes addictive when you get it.  When you understand the context.

So though following what's happening in the world will feel a bit like a chore at first—though you won't know many of the characters or key plot lines—if you just stick with it, the world will quickly become a "must watch" for you.

Now, notice that nowhere above did I refer to following current events as "reading the news" or "watching the news."  That's old-fashioned talk.

Today, you can keep up with the world in all kinds of ways.  So you can figure out what works best for you and your life, whether it's reading printed materials, reading on your computer or phone or iPad, listening on your iPod or on the radio, or watching on TV.  I'll list some of them for you below, but first, a quick note about objective vs. subjective:

When you follow the world, you'll do so in two major categories, objective (straight news) and subjective (people expressing their opinions).  Both are important—the objective part is telling you, "Here's what is happening" and the subjective part is all kinds of people telling you, "Here's what I think is important about what's happening, why I think it is happening, what I think it means, what I think should have happened, and what I think should happen in the future."  You want to take in enough of the objective stuff that you know what's going on, but I find that the subjective, opinion stuff is more interesting and fun to follow (and you can learn a lot of the objective news from the opinion stuff).  And if you can, try to take in opinions from all sides of the political spectrum, even when you don't agree with them.  Getting a balanced opinion load is important for your overall understanding.

Okay, onto the list—

Reading:

• News sites like CNN.com, NYTimes.com, WallStreetJournal.com, and about 200,000 others.  Almost all news sites also have a tab labeled "Opinion" where you can find their subjective stuff.
• Any major newspaper.
• Magazines.  Check out Time or Newsweek for a user-friendly, nicely-packaged blend of news and opinion, or The Economist for something a bit more advanced.
• Opinion websites.  These are sites that scour the web for the best opinion pieces from the day and post them in one place. Check out Real Clear Politics (slightly right-leaning), The Drudge Report (right-leaning), and The Raw Story (left-leaning).  
• Apps.  Most major publications (and all the above-mentioned) have great phone / iPad apps.

Listening:

• Podcasts.  These are a personal favorite—a way for me to hand-pick my favorite things to listen to and have them neatly lined up on my iPod so I can listen during my commute, while waiting in line, while folding laundry, cooking, or whatever.  Check out our previous post on podcasts for some great suggestions.
• The radio.  Mainly NPR, which is a fantastic source for news.  NPR also has a great website, a great app, and dozens of excellent podcasts.

Watching:

• In addition to the news you'll find on the major networks (CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX), check out CNN, MSNBC (left-leaning), and FoxNews (right-leaning) for entertaining (and often highly biased) news and opinion coverage.
• The Daily Show and The Colbert Report (both left-leaning) on Comedy Central are hilarious and actually pretty informative as well. 
• Meet the Press, on NBC every Sunday, is an excellent way to keep up.  In one hour, they cover the most major stories and always have prominent guests on to share their opinions or debate each other.

It may seem daunting, but just start somewhere!  You'll be happy you did.

Food for Thought

This may sound trite, but it’s true: eating the right foods can help you do better in school.

Here’s why. All the functions of the brain are biochemical processes with some electricity thrown into the mix. In a nutshell, brain cells communicate with each other and the rest of the body by releasing these wonderfully fashioned chemicals called neurotransmitters. The neurotransmitters trigger a frenetic exchange of electrical messages between cells, and voilà—brain function. It’s what enables you to think, analyze, solve problems, remember, and… the list goes on.

But none of this could happen without the right ammo—the nutrients in the food you eat.

Ever wondered why you have an easier time remembering things that happened when you were emotionally or intellectually stimulated, especially after a rewarding session from your SAT tutoring? It’s because your brain cells are best at building new connections when they are excited. And the delicious neurotransmitter that makes this happen, acetylcholine, can’t be produced without certain precursors. Try eating eggs, liver, soybeans, cabbage and wheat germ (to name a few), and you should have an easier time remembering those pesky formulas and definitions.

Two other key neurotransmitters are dopamine and serotonin. These make you feel happy and help you focus! Dopamine keeps you driven and motivated, and serotonin works to stabilize your mood. These forces combined can improve concentration and help you get through even the toughest assignments. To ensure a steady supply of these feel-good messengers, look to slow-release, protein-rich foods like meat and dairy products.

And while we’re on the topic of brain-powering foods, consider incorporating omega-3 fatty acids into your diet. These help build and maintain the fatty sheath that insulates the nerve fibers in your brain. Messages couldn’t flow freely between brain cells without it. So the more of these fats you get by eating fish (especially wild salmon) and nuts, the better and faster your brain will operate!

School Admissions Timeline – What To Do Next

School Placement Consultant Sandy Eiges of LA School Scout offers up some tips on how to stop the waiting and get proactive in March!
School Admissions Timeline – What To Do Next
People usually think of March as that “waiting” time of year in school admissions. But much as March can be an interim period between the dead of winter and the birth of new things in spring, where much can go on beneath the surface, so it is in the world of schools.
If you are waiting for answers from colleges, waiting to hear about financial aid packages, waiting to find out if you got into private schools, waiting to find out if your magnet points will get you into the school of your dreams (you won’t find out until April), or waiting to see if you got in off a waitlist for preschool, my sympathies – this is a tension-fraught time. Read on – for everyone wanting to know what you can do right now, there are lots of things to take care of in March. Here are some pointers:
1. For private school applicants, DK-12 – make sure that you’ve let your first choice private school know that you would, in fact, enroll your child were you to be offered a space. Do that now!
2. For public school – tour, tour, tour! Many, if not most, public schools offer an open house or Kindergarten orientation or tour. Check out your neighborhood public school, but feel free to take a look at other options. School tours are listed on my free tour calendar at www.LAschoolscout.com. Don’t count on getting into a private school, or your backup magnet or charter school – you need to have options. Go see what they might be.
3. For charter schools – many charter applications are due in March, and some schools are still offering tours. These applications cost nothing, and you can apply to as many charters as you like. This year, you can even apply to as many of the Palisades Charter Complex schools as you like – there’s no longer the restriction of applying to only one of those schools.
4. For magnet schools – some new magnets schools are, unbelievably, still taking magnet applications! Even if you’ve missed the boat on magnet deadlines, go to http://echoices.lausd.netto take another look at the magnet school options, and the list of new schools. Some of the new schools are still taking applications, and will be until fully enrolled. See below for the latest information on Mark Twain Middle School Global Language Magnet, in Venice.
5. For college – Spring break is a great time for high school sophomores and juniors to visit colleges and take campus tours. This way, come summer, a final list of schools to apply to can be created. Even if families can’t afford expensive east coast college trips, a California trip can easily and affordably be designed to include various UC and CSU campuses, along with private colleges such as Stanford, USC, Loyola Marymount, Occidental, etc. Need help putting together a plan? Check out college.
6. For preschool – make your list, check it twice, and start getting out on as many preschool tours as you can, as soon as you can. In many parts of town there are waiting lists for preschool, and, incredibly, there are even waitlists to get on a tour – no, this is not a myth perpetrated by school admissions consultants!
For those of you hoping that the whole preschool, elementary, middle, high school and college application process will just take care of itself – good luck with that! But for those of you trying to be proactive, March is a great time to start planning for September 2012 and 2013 admissions.
Sandy Eiges holds a Masters in Social Work, and has worked in and around education her entire professional career, including, most recently, as the charter school developer and interim principal of YouthBuild Charter School of California, a high school diploma and SAT tutoring program for out of school/out of work youth, located in Watts, East Los Angeles and El Monte. She has served on the compensatory education committee and local school leadership council for Mark Twain Middle School, in Venice/Mar Vista. Sandy founded L.A. School Scout LLC to provide families with comprehensive information on all of their educational choices, and help families make informed and thoughtful choices about the schools that will best suit their children. For the past five years Sandy has been an educational consultant for parents looking for preschool, elementary schools, middle and high schools, whether public, private or parochial.
You can contact Sandy directly at sandy@LAschoolscout.com; or by visiting her on her website at www.LAschoolscout.com.