Today was a good day for French dual-language programs in New York's public schools, and bilingual education in general. Minister Helene Conway-Mouret, who is in charge of French people living outside of France, visited the French-English dual-language program at PS58 in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. She was followed by French Consul General Bertrand Lortholary and a large delegation which included elected representatives, cabinet members, journalists, parents and representatives of Education Française à New York. The group witnessed the great accomplishments of PS58's students, the dedication of teachers, the involvement of parents, the determination of the school's principal, Giselle McGee and of the program's initiator Marie Bouteillon, and understood first-hand the reasons that triggered New York's French bilingual revolution.
The school now offers an excellent bilingual program to more than 300 children, and serves as a model for new programs that have been launched in other schools in recent years. Today eight public schools offer dual-language or immersion in French: PS58 in Carroll Gardens, PS84 in the Upper West Side, PS110 in Greenpoint, PS133 in Park Slope, PS 20 in Clinton Hill, MS 51 in Park Slope, MS256 in the Upper West Side, and the New York French-American Charter School in Harlem. Along with PS84 in the Upper West Side PS58 received last year the Label FrancEducation, an official recognition provided by France to schools that offer excellent French bilingual programs. Next June, both PS58 and PS84 will graduate their first bilingual 5th grade class with students mastering both English and French. Being able to read, speak, understand, and write in both languages the children will continue their bilingual education at the middle school level next year with both MS51 in Park Slope and MS256 in the Upper West Side ready to launch their new French dual-language program.
While several groups of parents are now working on opening new programs in primary schools in the Upper East Side, in Downtown Manhattan, in Riverdale and other areas, two groups are also working on developing public high schools that will cater for French bilingual children. The prospect of receiving a complete bilingual education in French and English in New York city's public schools, from Kindergarten to 12th grade, will soon become a reality. The advantages of being bilingual, of living with two languages, is now receiving world-wide attention. It is no longer taboo to be raised bilingual or multilingual. I believe that it is the best gift that parents can give to their children. "Living with Two Languages", the April 13 conference live-streamed from Lycée français de New York, will confirm this fact.
Ensuring that all of these schools receive the proper support that they need will require the help of all of us. Whether from public and private sources, or from individual patrons, creative fundraising from all sources will be necessary to reinforce existing programs, create new ones, and expand all the way to college. A special committee for the development of dual-language programs in New York city has been formed and will soon launch a campaign that will strive to establish a scholarship program to attract and prepare more qualified teachers; a resource fund that will provide schools with books and materials in French and English; and a special development fund that will support the expansion to high school and the addition of new programs in elementary schools throughout the city.
A revolution has started. Join us.
Fabrice Jaumont
Read More:
Le français en vogue à New York (Le Huffington Post Québec)
The French Bilingual Revolution in New York's Public Schools
A French dual-language program near you?
How many New Yorkers speak French at home?
How many New Yorkers speak French at home? How many bilingual schools do they need?
Des classes bilingues de la maternelle au collège dans les écoles publiques de New York
Which is the Best Language to Learn?
Living with Two Languages: The Advantages of Being Bilingual
In the news today
En déplacement à l'école PS 58 de Brooklyn vendredi 22 mars, la ministre déléguée chargée des Français de l'étranger Hélène Conway-Mouret a affirmé son soutien aux programmes bilingues, sans pour autant s'engager sur les aides de l'Etat. Une fois n'est pas coutume : pour la première fois, un ministre français en déplacement à New York ne s'est pas contenté de visiter le Lycée Français.
par Gaétan Mathieu
“Partout dans le monde, de plus en plus de parents souhaitent mettre leurs enfants dans des écoles françaises. Il y a un problème pour absorber la demande. On ne peut pas continuer à construire des établissements, nous n’en avons pas les moyens”
Le constat est dressé par la ministre déléguée chargée des Français de l’étranger, en visite ce vendredi 22 mars à la Public School 58 de Carroll Gardens. Hélène Conway-Mouret apportait sa bénédiction à ce qui pourrait être un symbole de sa politique de promotion du français à l’étranger. “Les sections bilingues des écoles publiques américaines permettent de tirer le meilleur des deux systèmes”, assure-t-elle.
Comments
Très bien!