East Bay Chinese School
East Bay Chinese School (EBCS) 東灣中文學校 is a community-based, parent-volunteer, non-profit Chinese Heritage School serving the East Bay community of Oakland, California, U.S.A. since 1981. The School has grown from a student body of 26 in 1981 to over 450 students, 29 Chinese language classes and 15 Chinese culture classes in 2009. Classes are held on Saturday mornings for 32 weeks during the school year. Classes are held on the campus of the Westlake Middle School, near Lake Merritt, at 2629 Harrison Street, Oakland, California.
In 2007 the school has begun to offer adult Mandarin classes for both beginning and intermediate learners. Its target group for this service is the members of the interracial marriage families.
In recent years there is a growing number of non-Chinese-heritage students attending the school, possibly due to rising Chinese influence in the global economy. More people wanting to learn Chinese is an exciting global phenomenon but also presents some challenges for Chinese school teachers and administrators. To meet the needs of the school's diverse student body EBCS has implemented several initiatives to ensure the school continue to deliver on its mission.
First, the school put more rigors around academic prerequisites and age requirements for new student enrollment. The intent was to ensure basic standards for all classes so teachers can focus on delivering a quality education. Also, the school requires all teachers to submit their lesson plans for the entire academic year so that progress can be tracked. The school also conducted a school-wide assessment (excluding kindergarten). The purpose of this test was to ensure standards were being met across all levels, and to identify students that need additional help. In 2009, the school adopted new textbooks and multimedia materials designed specifically for Chinese-as-second-language (CSL) learners. These learning materials are formulated to vitalize students' interest in learning Chinese and applying it to their daily lives.
EBCS also is working with the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) to start Chinese lessons in the classrooms and introducing the Chinese language and culture to the public school students.