Research has shown that immersion students consistently meet or exceed academic expectations, especially in the following four areas:

• Second-Language Skills: Immersion students are functionally proficient in the immersion language according to their age and grade level.

• Performance on Standardized Tests: Immersion students perform as well as or better than non-immersion students on standardized tests of English and math administered in English.

• Cognitive Skills: Immersion students develop greater cognitive flexibility demonstrating increased attention control, better memory, and superior problem solving skills.

• Cultural Sensitivity: Immersion students are more aware of and show more positive attitudes towards others.

“Yinghua Academy is remarkable in its accomplishments! I have been an immersion educator and consultant for more than 30 years and have worked with immersion programs throughout the United States and in several other countries. I would put this program in the top five percent of those that I have seen!” (Dr. Helena Curtain, 5/20/2009)

“Yinghua Academy has a happy, children-are-cared-for-here energy.” “The level of Mandarin spoken and used in the school is outstanding!” (Dr. Tara Fortune, 2/8/2008)

“The program is among the best STARTALK Grant Award sites we have seen.” “There is ample evidence of students learning resulting from excellent instruction.” (Dr. Myriam Met, 7/13/2009)

Chinese is the most widely spoken first language in the world, extending beyond the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan to Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, the Philippines and Mongolia.

As America’s economic, social and political ties to China develop, it is increasingly important that we prepare to work effectively with the one-fifth of the world’s population who speak Mandarin. Yinghua Academy provides the knowledge and skills necessary for our students to do so.

Immersion education is an approach to teaching language where the majority of subject content is taught in the second language. Studies show that immersion education students outperform students in traditional language classes, do as well as or better than non-immersion students on standardized tests, and have a greater appreciation of cultural diversity.

Immersion education has been proven through research to be effective for all learners, including students with many special education needs, socio-economic challenges, gifted-talented students, and non-native English speakers (of any language).

Yinghua Academy is a public charter school and, therefore, is tuition-free for all students. Most of Yinghua Academy’s operating expenses are paid for with the federal and state funding that the school receives based on the number of students who attend Yinghua Academy. Some expenses are paid for through grants that the school has been awarded and through fundraising.

Charter schools are independent public schools. They are part of the state’s public school system, but operate independently of the traditional school district in which they are physically located. Yinghua Academy is its own independent Minnesota public school district, #4140.

Each charter school has its own governing board. Typically the founding board is a group of parents, teachers, and community members who came together to create a school with a particular focus (e.g., language acquisition, arts, math and science) or with a particular educational philosophy or approach to teaching (e.g., Montessori, classical education, project-based learning).

After the school is operational, the school community (parents and school staff members) elects board members who become the governing board of the school. By Minnesota law, by the end of its third year of operation, a charter school must have a fully-elected board.

For more information on charter schools visit the Minnesota Association of Charter Schools website.

All charter schools in Minnesota are sponsored by an “authorizer”, an existing public or nonprofit organization such as a school district, a higher education institution, a nonprofit organization, or a foundation.

Charter schools are accountable to their authorizer, their parents and families, the state, and the public for achieving measurable results in student academic achievement and for practicing sound financial management. Yinghua Academy’s authorizer is Friends of Education, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit Minnesota corporation that was founded in 1999 and is based Minnetonka.

The student body has been growing in its diversity each year. Refer to the school’s most recent Annual Report for the most recent demographic information. Annual Reports are available on the School Management Page. Students reside in 83 unique ZIP codes within the Twin Cities metropolitan area. While a slight majority live in Minneapolis or Saint Paul, other cities represented include Woodbury, Lake Elmo, Farmington, Savage, Eagan, Minnetonka, Eden Prairie, Princeton, Lino Lakes, Stillwater, and Saint Anthony, among many others.

Ying signifies English language as well as hero, outstanding person, and intelligent. Hua signifies Chinese language as well as magnificent, resplendent, splendid, prosperous, and flourishing. Therefore, Yinghua is the “English-Chinese Academy.”