Ethnic Schools

The study presents research showing the possibilities of making the mother tongue/ native language available to children whose parents do not know Polish or have minimal knowledge of it. the research was conducted on the basis of the dynamics of development of the Polish School in Portland in the years 2011—2013. using questionnaires, a survey, community interview, and questions in an interview, comprehensive information was collected from parents, students and teachers. the information concerned, among others, the following issues: the demographic outline and cultural affiliation of parents, the level of knowledge of the Polish language by parents, as well as parents’, teachers’ and students’ beliefs about maintaining the Polish language. on the basis of the results and conclusions from the research, the author tries to indicate ways to improve the educational situation of Polonia children.
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W opracowaniu przedstawiono badania pokazujące możliwości udostępnienia języka ojczystego rodziców / języka ojczystego (narodowego) dzieciom, których rodzice nie znają języka polskiego lub znają go w minimalnym stopniu. Badania przeprowadzono na podstawie dynamiki rozwoju Polskiej Szkoły w Portland w latach 2011–2013, wykorzystując kwestionariusze, ankietę, wywiad środowiskowy i pytania w wywiadzie, zebrano wyczerpujące informacje od rodziców, uczniów i nauczycieli. Informacje dotyczyły między innymi następujących zagadnień: zarys demograficzny i przynależność kulturowa rodziców, poziom znajomości języka polskiego przez rodziców, a także przekonania rodziców, nauczycieli i uczniów dotyczące utrzymania języka polskiego. Na podstawie wyników i wniosków z badań autorka stara się wskazać sposoby poprawy sytuacji edukacyjnej dzieci polonijnych.

By 2015, over 170,000 Brazilian migrants are living in Japan. For their children, basically two options are available in terms of school education: Japanese pubic school and Brazilian school. How does ethnic schooling affect migrant children’s experience in the host society and their future planning? How are the experiences of migrant youth in ethnic school different from their counterpart in public school and what do they share in common? Public schooling has been considered a major avenue for migrant incorporation into the host society. However, when migrants form their own educational institutions, which are not fully compatible with the host country’s formal institutional framework, new social constraints and opportunities emerge for their children. Based on over 40 interviews with Nikkei (descendants of Japanese ancestry) Brazilian youth and relevant persons in Tokai area, Japan, this paper examines the ways in which they experience social lives and form their future plans throughout the sending country-oriented Brazilian schools. Ultimately my paper argues that, combined with the segmented labor market predominated by labor brokers, the semi-formal ethnic schooling provides social conditions for an enforced transnationalism for the Nikkei Brazilian youth in Japan.

This paper is a reflective narrative of the Greek ethnic schools transformation to intermediate spaces of learning. Based on her doctoral research findings the author (re)constructs the role of Greek ethnic schools in Australia in the light of spatiality. Greek schools can be perceived as heterotopias and/or third spaces where identity formation and intercultural learning take place. Their community and systemic role is influenced by triadic relationships, which interpret their complementary and semi-formal status as language providers. Greek schools’ continuity and effectiveness in the new millennium presuppose a new intercultural and spatial learning approach taking into account the national, diasporic and transnational context.