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Persian (Farsi) Language School: Iranian School of San Diego 
Institution name: Iranian School of San Diego (ISSD)
Address: 9550 Carmel Mountain Road
San Diego , CA 92129
Telephone: (858) 552-9355
Extension:
Fax:
Web address: http://issd.pccsd.org/
 
Name: Rosita Bagheri
Title: Assistant Principal
Address: P.O. Box 500914
San Diego ,  CA  92150
Email: rositabagheri@sbcglobal.net
Telephone: (858) 653-0336
Extension:
Fax:
Purposes and goals of the program:
The Iranian School of San Diego (ISSD) was established in 1988 to serve the Iranian-American community in San Diego County. ISSD is an affiliate of the Persian Cultural Center, a non-profit organization. ISSD's efforts are based on the fact that the personal and social identity of our children as 'Iranian-Americans' revolves around an appropriate understanding of the Iranian culture and the Farsi language. ISSD’s curriculum is designed at the Beginners, Intermediate, and Advanced levels.
Program origin:
ISSD was established in 1988, 21 years ago, with two classes rented from a local school in San Diego. The school was founded by a local community volunteer, mother, and teacher named Shahri Estakhry who saw a need for a school that serves children with Iranian/Persian heritage. Ms. Estakhry was in search of a heritage language class for her daughter and her friends' children and saw that none existed. Ms. Estakhry put up an ad in a local Persian store to try to attract two or three more students so that her daughter would be challenged in the classes that she herself would teach. That year, seventy students began Farsi classes. The following year, Ms. Estakhry and others founded the Persian Cultural Center of San Diego to enhance and ground the Persian community that the Iranian school had started. The school has since grown to two locations with 21 classrooms and 270 students, along with dance and theatre classes.
Program funding:
ISSD is funded solely by student registration fees and community fundraising efforts, such as auctions and food sales.
 
Languages/dialects taught:
  • Farsi
    •
    Program type:  Community-Based
    Average enrollment: 270
    Total contact hours per week: 2
    Times per week classes meet: 1-2
    When meetings take place:
    The meetings are divided into two separate class opportunities: Branch One meets every Sunday from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Branch Two meets every Thursday from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
    Where meetings take place:
    Branch One: Local Middle School (Standley Middle School), Branch Two: Local High School (Mt. Carmel High School in Rancho Peñasquitos)
    Parents' or guardians' expectations of the program:
    Parents expect that students gain substantial exposure to Farsi and an understanding of the Persian culture. However these expectations vary among parents from very high to average.
    Parents' or guardians' involvement in the program:
    ISSD’s parents are the number one supporters. Their involvement in PTA sponsored programs such as cultural festivals, celebration, school fundraisers and library is crucial to the students’ experience at school.
    Instructors' expectations of the program:
    Teachers expect an unrestricted classroom environment where they can only focus on teaching.
    Number of instructors in the program
    Full-time instructors:
    Part-time instructors: 13
    Volunteer instructors: 4
    Languages in which instructors are proficient:
    Educational backgrounds and credentials of instructors
    (e.g., diploma, bachelor's, master's, doctorate, certificate):
    Instructors are required to have both experience teaching Farsi as first or second language and communication skills in English.
    Professional development opportunities instructors have:
    While ISSD doesn’t have the facility or ability to provide direct professional development opportunities to teachers, the program has in the past helped them with tuition reimbursement.
    Professional development opportunities instructors need:
    Students' expectations of the program:
    For younger students, ages 5 to 14, the main motivations and expectations of the program would be to enjoy themselves and have fun being around members of the Persian community. For the older students or adult students, expectations are that they learn to speak and write in Farsi in a classroom setting.
    Student background
    First-generation immigrants: 5%
    Second-generation immigrants: 70%
    Third-generation immigrants: 20%
    Children of interethnic marriages: 5%
    Children of interethnic adoption:
    Indigenous students:
    Others:
    Students' countries of origin:
    Iran, United States, Afghanistan
    How the program identifies heritage language speakers:
    ISSD defines heritage speakers as students who have one or two first generation immigrant parents who also speak Farsi at home.
    Average enrollment: 270
    Approximate percentage of students who complete the program: 20%
    Approximate percentage of students who continue to study the heritage language after completing the program: 1%
    Possible reasons that students continue to study the heritage language after completing the program:
    Possible reasons a student may not complete all six years of the program include: transportation issues, parent withdrawal, and time conflicts with mainstream/public school demands.
    Total contact hours per week: 2
    Times per week:
    Student grouping (e.g., proficiency level, grade, age):
    Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced
    Language skills taught in the program (e.g., reading, writing, speaking, and listening):
    Reading and Writing
    Aspects of culture included in the program (e.g., history, literature, traditions):
    Customs and culture are taught throughout the grades. In higher levels, students also learn history and literature of Iran. Leading up to the large Nowruz celebration in March, students practice songs, dance, and acting in the classroom in order to prepare for community performances.
    Other content taught in the program:
    Theater and dance classes are offered in additional class hours. Along with ISSD’s weekly classes, the program plans (with the help from the PTA) 3 to 4 programs and festivals per year that celebrate Persian heritage. These include the annual Nowruz (New Year), Mehregan (fall/harvest festival) and Yalda (winter festival). Students are encouraged to participate in performances at these events or in some presentations afterwards. After a brief introduction about the significance of that particular festival is given, there is a mini quiz/competition and prizes. These festivals and recognition ceremonies are a way to credit the volunteers that keep the program afloat. Students are awarded prizes for the "Reading Olympics," an incentive program to get children to read books in their heritage language. The highest prize given is for those children who read five-hundred books or more per semester. In the past five years, ISSD has also implemented a program where recent graduates, be they middle or high school students, come back and serve as teacher’s assistants in weekly classes. These volunteers are recognized for their dedication to their community, along with all other volunteers. Apart from teachers, the school is entirely volunteer-run. It being a non-profit, volunteers work purely out of a passion for the culture and a desire to enrich the students' lives.
    Instructional methodologies used in the program:
    While the program was not built on just one teaching philosophy, its success can partly be attributed to the fact that all teachers and members of the community share the same vision to provide a strong personal identity to students as Iranian-Americans. Teachers and administration strongly believe in the positive impact of learning in a traditional classroom setting. This is why the school rents out classroom time from local public schools in the district. Teaching techniques include: instruction from the classroom board, reading aloud, and extra homework for practice.
    Levels of language proficiency reached by the end of the program (e.g., ACTFL proficiency levels, language tasks able to perform):
    Fortunately, in the past couple years ISSD has earned accreditation from the school district. While there is no formal assessment of level of language proficiency such as a standardized test, the San Diego school district, as well as some state colleges, recognize and credit 120 hours in the ISSD program as equivalent to one year of language study.
    Textbooks:
    Manuals and workbooks:
    Self-designed materials:
    A group of teachers and administrators have developed all original books and materials for use in each level.
    Films, videos, and DVDs:
    Music:
    Technology:
    Standardized tests used:
    Other assessments used:
    Individual teachers create and administer their own tests, in addition to the year round observation to determine student proficiency of the material taught.
    Connections with local schools or other organizations:
    ISSD is under the umbrella organization of the Persian Cultural Center of San Diego. The goal of this center is to continue to offer presentations of non-biased, non-political, and non-religious events, resulting in a blend of harmonious experiences for people of all ethnicities interested in the culture of Iran. Members of the school administration report to the Center’s board monthly, and the school takes every opportunity to participate in the Cultural Center’s monthly or bimonthly magazine publication, with a circulation of about six thousand.
    Credit received from formal education system:
    Students are able to receive credit for Farsi as a foreign language in high school and in California colleges.
    Types of support received (e.g., financial, time from parents or volunteers):
    All financial support comes from student registration fees and fundraising efforts. All administrators and parents dedicate a large amount of time as volunteers to the program, allowing it to continue successfully.
    Additional support desired:
    The school would love to receive funding through grants or endowments in order to relocate to a permanent location.
    Challenges faced by the program:
    The school’s biggest challenge is the temporary nature of classrooms. Teachers do not even have their own classroom space. Teachers are also faced with the need of curriculum updates and books, but they have very limited expertise and resources. In addition, the annual increase in the operating cost of the program and the challenge of keeping the fees at an affordable level to provide an opportunity to everyone is a constant struggle.
     
    Comments:

    The school’s success can be attributed to the help of passionate and dedicated volunteers. The key, says a school administrator, is getting the community involved as much as possible. Chris Nixon of The San Diego Union-Tribune wrote an article about the Persian Cultural Center and its programs in January 2008. It can be found here: http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20080124/news_1cz24persian.html



    This profile was updated by Hanwool Choe on July 2014

    Updated by Carmen Winkler on 10/13/2017