Emerging through Immersion

State of the Re:Union is continuing the School Spotlight segment with a look at a very special school in Sacramento, California. This region will be featured in one of our new episodes which begin releasing today. SOTRU is highlighting the Susan B. Anthony Elementary School that is beginning a new immersion program to assist the largely Hmong-populated community. (If you are dying to find out more about the Hmong people and culture, we can help you with that. You can check out our Twin Cities episode now, and you can learn more on our new Sacramento episode being released this upcoming week!)

Source: Ramsey County MN

Like many states across the nation, California has a very diverse range of  countries, creeds and backgrounds. For the Hmong people, escaping persecution due to hiding and assisting American soldiers in the Vietnam war was one of the driving reasons they sought asylum in the United States. Deracinating ties with family, friends and country, the Hmong community has been planting roots and making America their home.

A large population of Hmong people now call Sacramento, California their home. In an effort to help children and families acclimate more easily,  Susan B. Anthony Elementary of the Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD),  is implementing a new Hmong Immersion Program in an effort to assist the ever-growing Sacramento community.

This program’s goals have been designed to help students become proficient in both English and Hmong languages to increase academic achievement. The school gives a bit more of a breakdown of exactly what dual language immersion is:

•    Uses both English and Hmong instruction
•    Serves English learners and native English speakers
•    Includes high levels of proficiency in new language and home language
•    Increases use of English gradually

According to a press release issued on September 1, 2011, Susan B. Anthony Elementary has implemented this ambitious plan as part of SCUSD’s initiative to “graduate high-achieving, bilingual and bicultural students ready to compete in the future global marketplace.”

As immersion programs go, this is the latest in Sacramento’s ground-breaking list of language immersion programs. Participating kindergarten students in the immersion program are primarily taught in the targeted program language, which in this case is Hmong.

As students progress through school grades, they are taught less in their language and more in English. By the time these students reach fifth grade, they will be learning in all-English. Years of research shows that students in language immersion programs are more successful at school, scoring higher on standardized tests given only in English than their counterparts taught only in English. This will have a profound impact on not just the students, but their families, and in turn, the community, state, and the nation.

Susan B. Anthony Elementary is leading the way for other schools in the Sacramento area. More schools are joining this effort helping children and families in their community through similar acclimation and immersion programs. Of course, being in America pretty much obligates us to having conflicting viewpoints on this program. People throughout the nation differ in opinion about the immersion program and just how necessary and/or helpful it is. On one side of the coin, I’ve heard some say that, well, “we’re in America, so English needs to be spoken in our schools.” However, as we at SOTRU have seen, it is not always that simple. To quote from the American Graduate initiative, “There is no ‘One Size Fits All’ solution” when contemplating a solution in the never-ending educational battles.

What other places around the country are using similar programs? Do your neighborhood schools offer similar programs? Has there been a noticeable change benefiting the community? Of course, we would love to hear what they are and in what ways they’ve helped or hindered your community.

In many cultures, the home is a place where family gathers. It is common practice to have multi-generations living under one roof, unlike the typical American makeup of nuclear family unit. Many members of the extended family household will say that there is a feeling of safety, closeness and community in this given makeup.

This being said, it is no secret that Americans have become known for their independence; after all, that is main premise upon which the country was forged. Yet, it seems that all of this independence might not be the answer for some members of our nation.

Source: Craig

As the Baby Boomer generation (making up a large portion of the U.S. age group) continue to experience better health and prolonged longevity –  their piggy banks are not. To help combat this trending issue, a group of senior men and women decided to do something to take preventative action. Home sharing, an idea originating from Denmark, is becoming a more common practice for this aging cohort, especially during the continued state of economic chaos. This solution is rapidly gaining in popularity among all who are involved, be they residents or family members of these seniors.

While senior-only co-housing might not be the solution for all, it is a perfect fit for a lucky few. Just ask the members of the Glacier Circle Community in Davis, California, an area of Sacramento. This co-share began in 2005, and was the first of its kind in America. The members of Glacier Circle share a bond, and it is for this reason that this community was conceived. Through pulling their funds together they were able to purchase an acre of land that serves as this unique home site. All decisions were made by the original members, from the paint colors to the admittance of future residents. The level of care and thought that has gone into this venture has certainly paid out for these seniors. There are a couple who have passed on, and another who relocated to a facility due to constant care needs. Glacier Circle remains steadfast in their commitment to each other and enjoy the freedom that this opportunity has afforded them.

Source: Capture Queen

Since Glacier Circles, four more similar senior communities have popped up. According to the Co-housing Association of the United States, 12 more of these senior-only co-housing structures are currently in the planning stages. The Glacier Circle residents welcome the living arrangements. They are allowed to enjoy their community without the rigidity of facility rules and stifling recreational times. These seniors have full control of their own time and activities. Another thing that they have control over is their freedom. Living in this type of community, the members have a built-in safety system. They have each other. So the worry of a loved one being alone is alleviated from children of these seniors, and the seniors themselves. To read more about this community, go to The Sacramento Bee.

The dynamics of the American family are changing exponentially. With the rapid growth of an aging American population and the rapid shrinking of family incomes, more and more middle-aged women and men are caring for not only children, but elderly parents. This can put a strain on all members of the family. Bearing in mind that we will all be seniors one day, what do you feel the best solution would be for you? Know of any other possible solutions out there? If so, send them our way.

We at State of the Re:Union are so excited to announce five new shows for the fall season, which are set to be released beginning on Friday, September 16, 2011.

Here is a sneak peek at the episodes that will be about some unique challenges of community and how it brings people together:

Bronx, New York – The Bronx has symbolized America’s failings for a long time. It remains the poorest urban congressional district in the nation, and ask a New Yorker about the boroughs and they’ll usually tell you the Bronx is the one to avoid. Despite the area’s troubles, some citizens hailing from this region have resisted an exodus with the intentions of putting down roots and making the borough a better place to live. This episode will look at the hold-outs and the dreamers who have committed their lives and families to building community in the Bronx.

Gulf Coast of Mississippi - The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina forced the residents of the Mississippi Gulf Coast to band together to help the community get back on its feet. Just as the groove of life was returning to a normal level, the BP Deep Horizon disaster resulted in millions of barrels of oil being dumped into the water off their shores, once again having a debilitating impact on their everyday lives. These events have resulted in a lot of Gulf Coast residents becoming environmental aficionados, something they had never before imagined. SOTRU will bring you an hour of stories about how the fight for the natural world is uniting residents of the Gulf Coast, sometimes with unlikely partners–and how, in some instances, this environmental fight is exacting what this community has needed to survive.

Southern Wyoming – Wyoming is the least populated state in America. This is a sparsely occupied landscape where private property and self-sufficiency are prized, and the community that has been built tends to reflect the not-so-neighborly sentiment. The thought is slightly unsettling that distant neighbors might need to rely on another. For people to come together here, the reason must be good. This episode will take you to the towns of Laramie, Cheyenne and the surrounding landscape in Southern Wyoming. It will create a window, allowing a look into how the happenings in small towns of the rural United States’ countryside can set national changes into motion.

Cleveland, Ohio - From Rockefeller’s Standard Oil to GE’s first industrial park , the city of Cleveland was built from entrepreneurial spirit. This Ohio city was known for its success, until an infamous day in 1969 where the polluted Cuyahoga River caught fire, and has since become a bane in Cleveland’s existence. “The Mistake on the Lake” has become synonymous with the city and a moniker they have not been able to shake. Today, a new generation of entrepreneurs is embracing Cleveland. This episode will take the hour to explore how they are relying on their business sense in an effort to revitalize neighborhoods, cleanup the environment and improve education.

Sacramento, California - This is a company town, the caveat being that the company is government. Here, one in four households contains a government employee. There are many reasons that Sacramento citizens’ could have an ominous future outlook: the crippling state budget deficit, police loafs, fire engine brown-outs and park closures. However, these men and women believe that persistence is the key to getting through the murk and mire. Through the sheer determination, the residents and an enthusiastic mayor are keeping their major league basketball team for yet another year. Despite the Murphy’s Laws or Catch 22′s that the people of Sacramento have experienced, they refuse to become a gloomy statistical reference. The city’s number of chronically homeless people surviving on the streets actually went down this past year. This episode will uncover how the Sacramento residents are taking stock in their community. SOTRU will explore ways they are coping with this hard new economic reality, from volunteering to maintain city parks with Parks and Recreation budgets cuts, to creating clothing swaps and and home shares.

Go ahead, we know you’re a leader, so get the conversation started! State of the Re:Union would love to get your thoughts on the episodes when they are made available. Don’t stop there, we would also love your feedback on our newest documentaries, and on all things SOTRU and community related.

New Sounds of the Re:Union Podcast Coming April 1st

Al read a Washington Post article in which the reporter was lamenting his local record store closing. It gave him the idea for a theme that we eventually dubbed For the Record, a podcast about independent record stores across the country and what they are doing to survive during a widespread industry decline. We not only wanted to highlight some of these community gems, but to chronicle them. (more…)