Interest for French-English Bilingual Education Is Growing in Texas!

Bilingual education is growing in Texas which is among the leading states in the nation in the number of schools using bilingual programs at the elementary and secondary level. About a sixth of the almost 5 million students in Texas public and charter schools are classified as “limited English learners,” according to the Texas Education Agency. But any student can enroll in a dual-language program with the end goal of becoming bilingual and biliterate in two languages. Continue reading “Interest for French-English Bilingual Education Is Growing in Texas!”

What 200 schools in 30 States and 116 cities have in common

200 schools in 30 states and 116 cities offer a French bilingual program in the United States. They serve approximately 40,000 children who each day are becoming more and more bilingual, bi-literate, and multicultural. The following directory lists schools that offer a K-12 day-time French dual language program, one-way immersion in French, and French curriculum schools. Whether public or private, these schools follow various models and pedagogical objectives. Yet, they all play a crucial role in educating children with a global mindset, and impacting both the local and global community that they serve. Continue reading “What 200 schools in 30 States and 116 cities have in common”

[FR] [video] A New York, le français retourne à l’école – Radio Canada et TV5 Monde

Dans cette classe de maternelle de P.S. 110 – The Monitor School, une école primaire de Brooklyn, les enfants suivent un enseignement bilingue, avec des classes autant en français qu’en anglais. Laura Sutton, l’enseignante, leur apprend à lire et à compter en français le matin et en anglais l’après-midi. Les deux tiers de ces enfants, qui ont entre 5 et 6 ans, sont des petits Américains anglophones, les autres sont d’origine francophone. Continue reading “[FR] A New York, le français retourne à l’école – Radio Canada et TV5 Monde”

[video] “New York public schools offering bilingual French-English tuition,” by AFP news agency

Dual-language tuition is gaining popularity in New York’s public schools. Half of classes are taught in English and the other half in French, giving students an educational head-start according to supporters. Below is a story about the French-English dual-language program recently opened in Brooklyn, New York at PS 110 The Monitor School.(Duration: 02:22)
Continue reading “ “New York public schools offering bilingual French-English tuition,” by AFP news agency”

[FR] “Etats-Unis : l’apprentissage du français, la nouvelle tendance new-yorkaise” – Reportage de France 2

Le journaliste Jacques Cardoze est venu réaliser un reportage sur les programmes bilingues de New York. Il a été diffusé lors du journal de 20H présenté par Laurent Delahousse le 21 février 2014 (durée: 00h40).
Continue reading “[FR] “Etats-Unis : l’apprentissage du français, la nouvelle tendance new-yorkaise” – Reportage de France 2″

2014 Dual Language Teaching Scholars

The first French-English dual language program began in Brooklyn in 2007 with some very smart and committed parents, an extremely supportive principal, and an exceptional teacher. The dual language programs (DLP) are founded on an innovative pedagogy which offers students a rare and dynamic hybrid way to learn! The programs serve French-speaking and non-French speaking students in the same classroom and foster multicultural understanding and intellectual curiosity. As of September 2014, we will grow to serve over 1,300 students throughout New York City, in 10 schools from pre-K to 7th grade. But there is work to be done as there are 22,000 French speaking children in the city. Today we have more than 50 teachers but simply put, we need more.

Finding talented and qualified teachers is difficult. But it is the key to our success. Supporting teacher training and growth will have a direct impact on the expansion of the French-English dual language programs in New York.

The French Embassy and French-American Cultural Exchange have partnered with the Societe des Professeurs Francais et Francophone d’Amerique to offer an annual scholarship to future bilingual teachers. Continue reading “2014 Dual Language Teaching Scholars”

My new year’s resolution for 2014: make bilingual education grow in more public schools, more neighborhoods, and more towns

For the last 7 years, I have helped parents and their children gain access to much needed French-English bilingual education, and together we created several bilingual programs in public schools.This work was featured in countless national and international media outlets, particularly for the work done with developing bilingual programs in public schools throughout the United States, and in New York in particular.

I have now become an advocate for bilingual education and initiated the French bilingual revolution (a very positive and pacifist one!). Why bilingual education? Because it is good education. Schools hosting bilingual programs benefit from the diversity of the population they serve and the diversity of the teaching staff, able to incorporate linguistic and cultural differences into their pedagogy. This model is also rich in cognitive advancement and beneficial to the brain’s executive control functions as illustrated by neuroscience researchers. Continue reading “My new year’s resolution for 2014: make bilingual education grow in more public schools, more neighborhoods, and more towns”

“Mapping the resurgence of French in North America” – My interview for Language Magazine

I was recently interviewed by Language magazine for an article about the resurgence of French in North America, La Renaissance (published in the May 2013 edition). I had the opportunity to speak about the development of French dual language programs in New York, and in the United States. Continue reading ““Mapping the resurgence of French in North America” – My interview for Language Magazine”