the fhlp in 2015

The French Heritage Language Program: History, mission and perspectives

Program overview in 2015

The role of the FHLP in the teaching of French and creation of sustainable programs in the US today

Research and Advocacy

Current needs and strategy

Benoit Le Devedec, June 2015

¤  An educational program of FACE Foundation, in partnership with the Internationals Network for Public Schools, and administered by the French Embassy in The United States

¤  Provides free French classes to students of French heritage background in underserved public schools and community centers across the United States

¤  Currently serves 22 sites for 535 students K-12 in New York City, Florida, Maine and Massachusetts

¤  Contribute to research and advocacy in the field of Heritage Language teaching in the United States

How it started

¤  In 2005, with the Internationals Network for Public Schools, a network comprising 19 schools and Academies for new immigrants and dedicated to facilitating their integration in the United States. All their students are English Language Learners

¤  15 of these schools are located in NYC and up to 20% of their students come from a French-speaking country

¤  Needed support to help these students better adjust to their new environment and improve literacy in the home language to facilitate their acquisition of English

¤  The French Embassy wanted to reach out to French-speaking populations traditionally overlooked and who did not have access to existing or adequate forms of French instruction in the US

The FHLP in 2015

¤  New York: serving 235 students grades 9-12, in 10 high schools (4 in the Bronx, 2 in Manhattan, 3 in Brooklyn and 1 in Queens) and 16 students aged 6-10 at a Malian Cultural Center in Harlem, representing over 1,200 hours of French class/year

¤  Florida. Program opened in 2010, now serving 132 children K-8 in the Little Haiti neighborhood and North Dade district, representing 396 hours of French class/year

¤  Maine. Program opened in 2012, now serving 87 children and teenagers K-12, in the cities of Augusta and Lewiston Auburn

¤  Boston. Program opened in 2014, now serving 65 students K-6 in 2 Haitian churches of Roxbury and Somerville

¤  Potential openings in New Orleans and Denver, Spring 2016

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100

200

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400

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600

2005-‐06 2006-‐07 2007-‐08 2008-‐09 2009-‐10 2010-‐11 2011-‐12 2012-‐13 2013-‐14 2014-‐15

Boston

Maine

Florida

New York

Current enrollment in NYC and regional partner programs

Where are these students from?

37%

20%

10%

6%

6%

5%

5%

3% 3% 2% 2%

1% 1% 1% 1% 1% Haiti

Guinea

Senegal

Ivory Coast

Burkina Faso

Togo

Mali

RD Congo

Morocco

Benin

Chad

Tunisia

France

Mauritania

Central African Republic

Algeria

The French-‐speaking world

7

French speakers’ presence in the United States

8

The role of the FHLP in the teaching of French and creation of sustainable programs in the US Today

¤  Bridging the gap ¤  Over 1, 3 million French speakers in the US today ¤  Although French still remains the 2nd most commonly taught foreign

language in US schools, the number of schools actually offering French instruction has faced a steep decline over the past 20 years, especially in underserved areas

¤  Traditional forms of French instruction as a foreign language are inadequate to Heritage Language Learners

¤  An operational and original public/private partnership ¤  Coordinator paid by the French government ¤  Integrated into a US-based non-profit ¤  Locally financed by contributions from Foundations, individual donors,

public and international organizations ¤  Work through partnership with schools and community centers in areas

dense with Francophone populations who have little to no access to any form of French instruction at all

¤  Has become a key player in the development and institutionalization of French and bilingual instruction in the US

Unique Expertise

¤  Profile of FHLP students ¤  one common language but different cultural backgrounds

¤  French as the former education language but not necessarily the first or only social language

¤  Different levels of proficiency. Some cases of interrupted formal education and sometimes illiteracy

¤  English Language Learners integrating the US school system and society

¤  Curriculum development ¤  Creation of original resources directly inspired by the

successful methods used by the Internationals Network for public schools

¤  Curricula can be replicated and adapted to regional needs

¤  Teaching material is made freely available on our website

Bambara 9%

French 40%

Fulani 13%

Creole 26%

Wolof 7%

Arabic 5%

What languages other than English are spoken in your home?

Sustainable teaching strategies ¤  Adopt common pedagogy for all classes

¤  Manage and value diversity of French variants and cultures. Respect other home languages

¤  Build confidence, well-being and social cohesion in the classroom ¤  Develop curriculum with project-based and collaborative material ¤  Build on oral skills to develop academic language and other skills transferable to

other subjects at school

¤  Create incentive for students and schools ¤  Integrate other subjects’ content ¤  Offer extra curricular activities and summer camps ¤  Have school validate French class with high school credits ¤  Prepare eligible students to Advanced Placement French exam so they can get

college credits ¤  Reinforce college readiness by partnering with higher education institutions to offer

“College Now” programs through the French class

¤  Systematic assessment proficiency in the language and cultural background / Comprehensive students’ satisfaction survey

¤  Teacher’s training ¤  Teachers receive initial training and year-long support by program coordinator ¤  Play an integral part in projects and curriculum development

Examples of projects and sustainable practices

¤  2014-2015 Common curriculum projects for all our high school classes : ¤  Immigration and the American dream: write your own immigration story and

adapt it into a video self-portrait ¤  Living together: students create a fiction-based group class project in the form

of a theater performance or short-movie ¤  Global challenges: students tackle various topics like the environment, human

rights, science and technologies and take part in a persuasive essay writing contest

¤  College and career readiness: students learn how to write a resume and cover letter in both English and French and set up mock job interviews

¤  Other notable year-long projects ¤  “Paroles de Jeunes”: a weekly radio talk show conducted live every Monday

by one of our classes in Brooklyn ¤  “Amidou & Toya”: a semi-professional musical, performed live by our students

with internationally recognized musicians as part of our May 2014 benefit event

¤  College readiness ¤  2014: 90% of the students we prepared to the AP French received scores

between 3 and 5, making them eligible to college credits ¤  We have partnered with LaGuardia Community College to offer a College

Now course offering college credits and a college experience to all of its participants

Research and Advocacy

¤  The FHLP is considered by US academic and research institutions as one of the most advanced Heritage Language Programs in the United States today

¤  Works in close collaboration with the Center for Applied Linguistics in Washington, DC and the National Heritage Language Resource Center at UCLA

¤  Takes part throughout the year as presenter in conferences and symposiums related to teaching, heritage languages, immigrant integration, and French studies

¤  Publishes scholarly articles and papers documenting our work and impact on the presence and vitality of the French language in the United States

¤  Advocacy and Community outreach ¤  The program has gained considerable visibility over the past years and is

now a “brand” many French-speaking communities and educators associate with and support in our efforts to advance the cause of French Heritage language instruction and bilingual education

¤  The program’s capacity to work with populations of diverse ethnic and socio-economic background, schools, and the world of research, has made it a unique and respected actor in the American educational landscape.

Strategy and current needs

¤  Ensure Program’s sustainability

¤  Secure the French government’s support for years to come

¤  Continue to increase and diversify sources of funding

¤  Further integrate heritage language programs into the the public school system (enter regular programming, continue to boost impact on college and career readiness index)

¤  Replicate and diversify the program into new regional initiatives

¤  Engage students, families, schools and the community to lobby for the teaching of heritage languages and the creation of free bilingual programs where is needed

Direct and indirect sources of funding

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2005-‐06 2006-‐07 2007-‐08 2008-‐09 2009-‐10 2010-‐11 2011-‐12 2012-‐13 2013-‐14 2014-‐15

Boston partnerships

Maine partnerships

Florida partnerships

NYC partnerships

US Foundations and individual donations

France

Integration into NYC public schools

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2005-‐06 2006-‐07 2007-‐08 2008-‐09 2009-‐10 2010-‐11 2011-‐12 2012-‐13 2013-‐14 2014-‐15

French Heritage classes directly funded by public schools or other public institutions

www.face-foundation.org

the fhlp in 2015

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