Buffalo plans 'Chinese immersion school'

BUFFALO, N.Y., Oct. 11 (UPI) -- A proposed high school in Buffalo, N.Y., would provide immersion in Chinese culture for local students and in western culture for students from China.

City Schools Superintendent James Williams told The Buffalo News the school would have between 300 and 500 students who would spend four years studying both English and Mandarin Chinese. Local students would be able to spend a school year or summer sessions in China.

His plan also includes bringing Chinese teachers and administrators to Buffalo to study in the system's Leadership Academy, the newspaper reported Saturday.

Williams and Catherine Battaglia, a community superintendent, are to attend a conference in China in mid-November where they will discuss the plan with educators there.

"We're constantly telling students that the world is flat," Battaglia said. "That's very nice rhetoric. But how can they really understand that until they can reach out and connect? We want to get our kids out in the world. This puts our money where our mouth is."

Williams said plans to send students to China and bring Chinese educators to Buffalo could begin in the 2010-2011 school year. The "Chinese immersion school" may need two to three years to get off the ground.