International Charter Academy of
Georgia (ICA Georgia), a new dual language Japanese-English charter school, will
start accepting applications for August 2019 on January 10, 2019. Applications will be available online at www.internationalcharteracademy.org.
As a statewide charter school located in Peachtree
Corner, GA, the school is open to any K-5 student residing in the state of
Georgia. ICA Georgia uses the Dual Language Model for Japanese and English
instruction, which
is supported by a wealth of research and recommended by experts in dual
language acquisition. In this innovative model, the ratio of time spent in each language
favors Japanese in younger grades and shifts to balance more evenly with
English as students age.
All core subjects will be taught in
both languages, exposing students to a wide range of content
learning areas in the target language and enhancing academic achievement in
general.
The
school will employ a number of other state-of-the-art techniques to further
enhance students’ education. English and Japanese teachers will use a team
teaching approach, and
pull out classes will
be available in both languages to ensure the success of non-native speakers. Hands-on
inquiry based learning and a student-centered environment conducive to lifetime
learning and open-mindedness will be hallmarks of ICA Georgia’s program. A
special emphasis will be placed on writing in all grades, particularly research
paper writing. Effective use of IT will further enhance cooperative learning
and differentiation. A high level of
Japanese will be attained by using the Japanese Ministry of Education
curriculum in the Japanese department.
Beyond
learning the Japanese language, ICA Georgia students will also be exposed to Japanese school life, including Japanese
physical education, music, haiku, cultural events, healthy Japanese food
(recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO), and Japanese calligraphy.
School days begin at 8:00 am and end
at 3:00 pm Monday through Thursday, with Friday’s dismissal at 2:00 pm. After school
care is available until 6:30 pm from Generation in Focus (www.generationinfocus.com). To balance the academic benefits of
the year-round calendar for students while at the same time maintaining the
convenience of the traditional calendar for parents,
the school will have 190 school days
per year.
ICA Georgia aims to broaden the
horizons of students in Georgia so that they may become global citizens who
promote peace around the world. ICA Georgia students will be expected to contribute
to the local and global community through various service learning projects,
and ICA Georgia will promote parental involvement and build a community that
learns from one another.
According to Georgia State
Representative Tom Taylor (District 79), “Our state needs employees who can
speak more than one language, and there is no better time for its citizens to
acquire language skills than when they are young. This charter school will also
be an excellent educational environment for children with parents who come from
Japan to do business in Georgia.”
Barbara Kennedy, Ed.D, Director of
Dual Language and Bilingual Education at the Center for Applied Linguistics,
states, “We are excited to see the progress in the preparations for the opening
of International Charter Academy of Georgia. Multilingual education is a
research-validated approach to promoting second language acquisition among
students of various language backgrounds. Additionally, multilingual education
can provide opportunities for the promotion of cross-cultural understanding
among students, who, in turn, develop important lifelong skills that enhance
their ability to interact effectively in our increasingly globalized world.”
Chenyi Zhang, Ph.D, Assistant
Professor, Department of Early Childhood and Elementary Education, Georgia
State University, states, “In recent years, given the trend of globalization
and international collaboration, supporting children’s early foreign language
learning has become an important educational issue in early childhood and
elementary education. ICA Georgia employs a unique dual language immersion
approach to promote children’s foreign language skills through environment
exposure and adult-child interactions without interrupting typical English
early literacy development…In short, ICA Georgia will provide an
early learning experience that is
valuable for preparing future generations of ‘global citizens.’”
The US State Department designates
Japanese as a Critical Language, and there are more than 600 Japanese companies
in Georgia. Yet despite the increasingly globalized nature of our
society, research
indicates that Global
Literacy is low in American youth (Council on Foreign Relations, 2016). Studies
show that immersion students develop greater cognitive flexibility, increased
attention control, better memory, and superior problem-solving skills
compared to their peers.
(See Lindholm-Leary, Dual Language Education. (2001)). ICA Georgia’s mission is
to provide the students of Georgia with the skills they need to succeed in our
increasingly globalized society.
For further details about the
school, visit www.internationalcharteracademy.org,
call 770-604-0007, or email info@internationalcharteracademy.org.
