Dear Families,
PPS has just made the decision to limit international travel for district sponsored trips to no more than 5 days.
The CRR (Chinese Research and Residency) that happens in 8th grade is traditionally 10 days, as is the Japanese Immersion program's Japan trip. The change appears to be a new reinterpretation of an administrative directive that has been in place since 2002, during which time more than 30 Research and Residency Programs to both China and Japan have been granted approval. Starting this week, PPS Leadership has chosen to interpret wording differently and has immediately limited trips to no more than 5 days. This would make a CRR and JRR impossible due to the travel time required for both locations.
We need your voices!
We believe the opinions and interests of those directly impacted must be heard. Given the timing, we need immediate action. The current 8th grade class is working on putting together the Taiwan Research and Residency trip, which was expected to happen this spring. Shu Ren will be posting an official reply to PPS, but we need Parent and student voices. Write emails and letters, and encourage your children to do so as well.
Please read the information below provided by the Middle School Research and Residency leaders, and craft your own response, urging PPS to change their decision.
Please do not copy the email submitted by the Middle School language teachers below, but reframe it in your own words.
Send your email to all of the names listed below.
Please do this by Monday, December 19th.
Please encourage others to do the same!
Shu Ren is also crafting a letter, and it will be shared on our website as soon as it is ready, by December 18th. I will post that letter in Konstella as well.
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PPS Leadership (Most of these people have been in on the decision at some point.)
Superintendent Guadalupe Guerrero gguerrero@pps.netDeputy
Superintendent Cheryl Proctor cproctor@pps.net
Academic Programs Administrator Daniel Cogen dcogen@pps.net
Chief of Schools Jon Franco jfranco@pps.net
Area Senior Director Korinna Wolfe kwolfe@pps.net
Regional Superintendent Margaret Calvert mcalvert@pps.net
PPS School Board Members
Board Chair Andrew Scott anscott@pps.net
Vice-Chair Gary Hollands ghollands@pps.net
Michelle DePass mdepass@pps.net
Julia Brim-Edwards jbrim-edwards@pps.net
Amy Kohnstamm akohnstamm@pps.net
Eilidh Lowery elowery@pps.net
Herman Greene hermangreene@pps.net
Byronie McMahon bmcmahon@pps.net
Brief History of the Research Residency Programs & Their Value
Our programs have a history of approval that spans 20 plus years, as district leaders, parents, and students alike have embraced these unique in-country programs for their academic rigor and emphasis on experiential learning that cannot be duplicated in the classroom. Teachers in other core subjects also recognize and support the educational value of these programs.
First and foremost, the Research Residency study programs are the ultimate form of inclusion that a district can offer. By providing the opportunity to become truly immersed in the language and culture of a country that they have been studying DURING the school year, we ensure that the maximum number of students are included.
Parents tout the value of visiting the country that their student has been studying and investing in for 9 years. Whilst English and Spanish speakers can access the authentic culture they belong to daily, students in dual-language programs of Less Commonly Taught Languages (LCTL) cannot. The Research Residency program takes students out of the classroom and brings them into the realness and rigor that only such a once-in-a-lifetime research residency can provide.
Students who complete their Research Residency program and present their research projects at the end of the year experience a transformative and exciting end to their middle school lives. Physically traveling to the country of the language they have been studying for 9 years and interacting with their sister school, penpals, and homestay families in their partner language cannot be simply replicated in the classroom. It provides powerful context and motivation to their studies.
Brief History of the Research Residency Approval Process
Both the Japanese and Chinese Research Residency Programs were most recently granted approval in the academic year of 2019-2020. Approval was given promptly and under the same administrative directive (AD) guidelines as this year. In previous years, approval was consistently granted within weeks of applying.
Our experience this year with applying for approval has been a completely different experience, and we find the way our programs have been treated unacceptable.
Same applications (as listed on the official PPS website)
Same administrative directives as before
Zero response from PPS leadership to our applications for two months and counting.
PPS leadership NEVER reached out to trip leaders to learn more about the Research Residency Programs.
Requests to bring Trip Leaders to the table in the decision-making process were ignored by PPS leadership.
The onus should be on district leadership to prove that missing more than 5 days of school on the research residency programs is more detrimental than beneficial to students’ short and long-term learning.
Thank you,
Kojo Hakam (Hosford Middle School, MDLI (MIP) 8th Grade Instructor)
Andrew Pan (Harriet Tubman Middle School, MDLI 8th Grade Instructor)
Matt Bacon-Brenes (Mt. Tabor Middle School, JDLI 8th Grade Instructor)
Yuuki Sakai (Mt. Tabor Middle School, JDLI 8th Grade Instructor)
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Please find here an example of Student's CRR finished Video, completed after their CRR.
亲爱的各位， PPS 刚刚做出决定，将该学区赞助的国际旅行限制在不超过 5 天。 八年级的 CRR（中国研究和居住）传统上是 10 天，日语浸入式项目的日本之旅也是如此。这一变化似乎是对自 2002 年以来实施的行政指令的一个新解释，以前去中国和日本的 30 多个研究和驻留项目已获得批准，但是从本周开始，PPS 领导层选择了不同的措辞解释，并立即将旅行限制在不超过 5 天。鉴于两个地点所需的旅行时间，这个变化将使 CRR 和 JRR 变得不可能。 我们需要你的声音！ 我们认为必须听取直接受影响者的意见和利益。鉴于时机，我们需要立即采取行动。目前的 8 年级班级正在筹划预计于今年春天进行的台湾研究和驻留之旅。树人将在 PPS 上发布正式回复，但我们需要家长和学生的声音。写电子邮件和信件，并鼓励您的孩子也这样做。 请阅读以下由中学研究和居住项目领导提供的信息，并制定您自己的回应，敦促 PPS 改变他们的决定。 请不要复制下面中学语文老师提交的邮件，而是用你自己的话重新组织。 将您的电子邮件发送到下面列出的所有人。 请在 12 月 19 日星期一之前完成此操作。 请鼓励其他人也这样做！ 树人也在起草一封信，准备好后会在 12 月 18 日之前在我们的网站上分享。我也会把那封信寄到 Konstella。 ---------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------- -------------- PPS 领导层（这些人中的大多数人都在某个时候参与了决策。） 学区总负责人 Guadalupe Guerrero gguerrero@pps.netDeputy 学区总负责人 Cheryl Proctor cproctor@pps.net 学术项目管理员 Daniel Cogen dcogen@pps.net 学校主监：Jon Franco jfranco@pps.net 区域高级总监 Korinna Wolfe kwolfe@pps.net 区域总负责人 Margaret Calvert mcalvert@pps.net PPS 学校董事会成员 董事会主席 Andrew Scott anscott@pps.net 副主席 Gary Hollands ghollands@pps.net 董事 米歇尔德帕斯 mdepass@pps.net 董事 朱莉娅·布里姆-爱德华兹 jbrim-edwards@pps.net 董事 艾米·科恩斯塔姆 akohnstamm@pps.net 董事 Eilidh Lowery elowery@pps.net 董事 赫尔曼·格林 hermangreene@pps.net 董事 拜罗尼·麦克马洪 bmcmahon@pps.net
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研究及居住学习计划的简史及其价值 学区在过去 20 多年里一直批准我们的"研究及居住"的计划，学区领导、家长和学生都接受了这些独特的国内课程，因为它们的学术严谨和对体验式学习的重视是课堂上无法复制的。其他核心科目的教师也认可并支持这些课程的教育价值。 更重要的是， Research Residency 研究及居住计划是学区可以提供的最有效的沉浸式学习方式。给学生提供一个机会，真正地沉浸他们在学校所学的语言和文化的国度里，我们可以确保尽多的学生参与这个计划。 孩子能去一个花九年时间学习该国语言的国家访学，父母们觉得是很有价值的事情。说英语和西班牙语的人可以在他们日常生活中体会其真实文化，但学习非通用语言 (LCTL) 双语课程的学生却没有这个机会。 Research Residency 研究及居住计划将学生带出课堂，带进一个真实和严谨的语言和文化环境里，这是一个千载难逢的机会。 完成研究实习计划并在年底展示研究项目的学生们，将体验到他们会以一种焕然一新和令人兴奋的方式结束他们的中学生活。亲身前往他们学习了 9 年的语言的国家，并用该国语言与他们的姐妹学校、笔友和寄宿家庭互动，这是在课堂上不能简单复制的，能为学生们的研究提供强大的语境和动力。
研究居住学习计划批准程序的简史
日本和中国的研究居住计划最近都在 2019-2020 学年获得批准。批准是根据与今年相同的行政指令 (AD) 准则迅速给予的。在过去的几年里，申请后几周内就会获得批准。
我们今年申请批准的经历完全不同，我们发现我们的项目受到的对待方式是不可接受的。
相同的应用程序（如 PPS 官方网站上所列）
与以前相同的行政指令
两个月以来，PPS 领导层对我们的申请零回应，而且还在继续。
PPS 领导层从未接触过旅行负责人以了解有关研究居住计划的更多信息。
PPS 领导层忽略了在决策过程中将旅行负责人包括在内的请求。
地区领导有责任证明，参与研究居住计划的学生缺课超过 5 天对他们短期和长期学习弊多于利。 谢谢， Kojo Hakam（霍斯福德中学，MDLI (MIP) 八年级老师） Andrew Pan（Harriet Tubman 中学，MDLI 八年级老师） Matt Bacon-Brenes（塔博尔山中学，JDLI 八年级老师） Yuuki Sakai（Mt. Tabor 中学，JDLI 8 年级讲师）