San Francisco Unified School District - Edwin and Anita Lee Newcomer School

Edwin and Anita Lee Newcomer School (formerly the Chinese Education Center) is a school for Chinese-speaking, newly-arrived immigrant students. It is a transitional, one-year program designed to teach foundational English skills in reading, writing, and oral English language development. In addition, basic skills, protocols, and understanding in all CORE subject areas are explicitly taught to address the gap that typically results from students having been raised in a very different educational system. Beyond the academics, a large focus is placed on nurturing our students’ social emotional learning. We address the cultural gap and the many challenges that accompany such a significant transition as immigrating from China to the United States. Immigrant students and families face numerous challenges as they work to learn a new language and understand a new culture. The English language is as significantly different from the Chinese language, as American culture is different from the Chinese culture. We educate students and their families on concepts that include the importance of having a growth-mindset; the acceptance of failure as a natural part of the journey toward mastery; the importance of positivity; and, the expression of love in parenting. We provide valuable and essential supports to newly-arrived immigrant students and families. We nurture a greater sense of self-confidence in students because of the academic and social-emotional gains they are able to make at our school. In the long-term, the families gain a greater understanding in how to better support their children through this transition. Their participation in our program sets the foundation for the students’ long-term success.