mobilizing a multifaceted movement: lessons from canadian parents for french’s history of activism...
TRANSCRIPT
Mobilizing a Multifaceted Movement: Lessons from Canadian Parents for
French’s History of Activism
Matthew Hayday, Associate ProfessorDepartment of History, University of Guelph
Early Innovations• McKee Elementary
after-school program (North York)
• Toronto French School
• Kitchener-Waterloo Bilingual School
• St. Lambert French Immersion Pilot
• Calgary French SchoolChez Hélène
A Federal Context• Ottawa: Secretary of State (Canadian
Heritage), Commissioner of Official Languages– Official Languages Act, Official Languages in
Education Program, Promotion of Official Languages, Moral Support
• Provincial Ministries of Education– Curriculum Guidelines, Funding Structures
• Local/Municipal School Boards– Decisions to create / fund / expand programs
Strategies, Resources and Tools
• Volunteer Energy• Effective Research• Networking and Building
Relationships• Crisis Kits: Responding to the Critics• Polling Data: Determining Parental
Priorities and Public Support
Communications and Messaging
• Polling Data to Determine Parental Priorities:– Job Opportunities, Cultural
Understanding
• Communications Campaigns– Learning English and French Opens
Doors to Tomorrow– Learning French Makes a World of
Difference
Working with Parental Concerns• Compulsory vs. Optional Programs• Avoiding the Zero-Sum Game Trap• Financial Supports from Ottawa &
Provinces• Immersion and Improved Core
French: Considering the Majority Needs
• Globalization: Steps towards Multilingualism
Challenges and Potential Pitfalls
• The Elitism Trap• Considering Core• Remedial Education & Special-Needs
Students• Alliances with Francophone
Organizations• Structural Constraints in Education• An Evidence-Based Response to
Challengers