This morning, I visited the Polish dual language program (DLP) at P.S. 34 Oliver H. Perry Elementary in Greenpoint, Brooklyn thanks to principal Carmen Asselta. In its first year, the school’s DLP showed impressive results, and inspiring dedication among teachers, staff, parents, and a school leader with a great appreciation for multilingual education. Continue reading “The first Polish dual language program at P.S. 34 in Brooklyn”
French heritage language speakers in the United States face multiple challenges as they attempt to maintain French as a living language, despite the fact that French is one of the most commonly studied foreign languages in the country (second in the list of most common languages offered in elementary and secondary schools after Spanish, and before Latin, German, and Chinese). The case of French is particularly interesting, because French heritage language speakers represent several distinct geographic populations and different historical circumstances, from recent immigrants to settlements dating back several centuries. Franco-Americans and Acadians in Maine and Cajuns in Louisiana serve as examples of revitalization efforts to protect and encourage the vitality of French as an indigenous language. Continue reading “French Heritage Language Vitality in the United States”
Fabrice Jaumont’s study is a welcome addition to the still small but growing corpus of research on American philanthropy in Africa, a sector that has yet to be fully analyzed or understood.
Retrouvez mon portrait, “États-Unis : Fabrice Jaumont multiplie les cursus franco-anglais”, dans le dossier spécial “Filières bilingues: deux langues pour réussir”, publié dans la revue le français dans le monde. Continue reading “[FR] Portrait dans la revue Le francais dans le Monde pour le Dossier “Filières bilingues: deux langues pour réussir””
The discourse on priorities in African higher education is placed in a contested terrain, where grantors and grantees not only negotiate one another’s perspectives but also contend with inhospitable national contexts. In certain African countries, governments do not necessarily encourage the development of universities or international donors who are not overtly cooperative. Much to their credit, U.S. foundations have helped universities become self-sustainable and less dependent on government funding. They also succeeded in raising awareness about higher education in Africa as a sector worthy of financial support, thus making the case for Africa’s universities in national and international contexts. However, these foundations did not engage sufficiently with non-English speaking institutions, even when this was important to generate more equity and sustainability on the very sector that they sought to promote. Continue reading “The influence of U.S. foundations in Africa and the reinforced dominance of English”
The latest U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey reports that 1,301,443 people in the U.S. speak French at home.This includes speakers of French dialects, such as Patois and Cajun, who are over 5 years old. In fact, French is the fifth most common non-English language spoken in U.S. households, after Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Tagalog. Continue reading “Speakers of French in the United-States”
The mechanisms of international philanthropy and foreign investment are extremely complex. Africa’s ecology of donors is composed of numerous international agencies, development funds, international foundations, and pan-African organizations that allocate their funds based on a number of environmental and institutional factors. These funds, however, are limited, and grantees oftentimes find themselves competing for resources. Donors thus wield a huge amount of power, shaping the development of the continent through their grant-making practices. This unbalanced relationship between grantors and grantees does not go by unnoticed, and American foundations are often criticized for enforcing a pro-Western agenda as they unilaterally set development goals and priorities. Meanwhile, recent literature on African higher education suggests that African scholars are calling for more ownership in the inception and implementation of programs so as to serve the cause of African development, not Westernization. Continue reading “Language and U.S. Philanthropy in Africa”
I was thrilled to take part in the panel discussion “The Future of Bilingual Education: Best Practice Models from the U.S. and Abroad”” organized by the Goethe-Institut New York. The symposium gathered teachers, school aministrators and parents. It was also the chance to support NYC’s first German dual language program opening next year at P.S. 17 in Brooklyn. Continue reading “Dual Language Symposium’s networking event and panel at Goethe Institut New York”
Я был рад председательствовать в комиссии по продвижению двуязычного образования в Нью-Йорке и одновременно поддержать инициативу русской двуязычной программы. Continue reading “[RU] Русская двуязычная инициатива, направленная на открытие программы на Манхэттене”
I was happy to moderate a panel on the promotion of bilingual education in New York City and to support at the same time the Russian dual language program (DLP) initiative.
The panel was organized by the Russian DLP initiative and the Harriman Institute at Columbia University. The event focused on establishing a Russian dual language program at a public elementary school on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, and invited parents, educators, and community organizations. Continue reading “The Russian dual language program initiative looking to open a program in Manhattan”
FABRICE JAUMONT 