Courses are held at Bierenbaum Fisher Hall (formerly Memorial Hall) at Rider University in Lawrence Township, Mercer County.[1] The school offices are in Princeton, except on Sundays, when the offices are at Rider University.[2]
Five Japanese researchers at Princeton University founded the PCJLS in 1980. It was originally at that institution but moved to Rider in 1996.[3]
In 1987 its weekend courses for children covered Kindergarten through the 7th grade.[4]
Curriculum
The school's Japanese Ministry of Education (MEXT)-compliant classes are part of its Division 1. The principal of Division 1 is funded by MEXT.[5] In addition, the school offers Japanese heritage language courses, Japanese as a foreign language courses,[6] and courses for adults as part of Division 2, which is oriented to children attending university in the United States and other persons from English-dominant households.[5] The school's teachers developed their own kanji textbooks for use in these courses.[7] Placement into a particular division involves consultations in which the student, the parents, and/or PCJLS teachers are involved.[6]
In 1987 the school also had Japanese language courses for adults who work in businesses.[4]
Student body
Many PCJLS students are U.S. permanent residents with at least some Japanese ancestral origin, including multilingual students with one or more parents who speak a language not English and/or not Japanese, and/or bilingual students living in English-dominant households. These students often attend heritage classes and/or Japanese as a second language courses.[6]
In 1987 students came from the states of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. Some of the students came from Fort Lee and some came from South Jersey.[4]
In 187 the school had around 20-25 adult students and 100 child students.[4]
Teaching staff
Parents, as of 2012, make up 70% of the teachers at PCJLS.[7]
^Direction & Map. Princeton Community Japanese Language School. Accessed May 9, 2014.
^"Home." Princeton Community Japanese Language School. Retrieved on February 14, 2015. "プリンストン日本語学校オフィス 14 Moore Street, Princeton, NJ 08542" and "Sunday Office Rider University, Memorial Hall, Rm301"
^ abKano, p. 106. "Princeton Community Japanese Language School (PCJLS) is a weekend school[...]It is the leading Japanese school in the greater New York region[...]"
Kano, Naomi (加納 なおみ Kanō Naomi). "Japanese Community Schools: New Pedagogy for a Changing Population" (Chapter 6). In: García, Ofelia, Zeena Zakharia, and Bahar Otcu (editors). Bilingual Community Education and Multilingualism: Beyond Heritage Languages in a Global City (Volume 89 of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism). Multilingual Matters, 2012. ISBN184769800X, 9781847698001. START: p. 99.
"海外の週末日本語学校(プリンストン日本語学校の取り組み)" (Archive). Mother Tongue, Heritage Language, and Bilingual Education (MHB) Research Association (母語・継承語・バイリンガル教育(MHB)研究会).