Did you know that French was the second most frequently spoken language at home, after Spanish, among US secondary school populations?

Whether they come from Senegal, Mali, Haiti, or one of the 32 countries that have French as an official language today, many new immigrants in US public schools often find themselves without the opportunity to maintain and make the most of their language here in the United States. 

How French can help new immigrants 

The French Heritage Language Program (FHLP) helps US public schools and community centers set up French courses specifically designed to facilitate the integration of new immigrants, keep up their French and help them maintain strong ties with their respective cultures and identity. Nearly all of our students come from West Africa and Haiti and consider the French language to be an important part of who they are. They are right, because French can also be a strong asset for them here in the United States. Research has shown that strengthening literacy skills in the home language can facilitate the acquisition of a second language like English. French can also help you take valuable exams. Many schools do not consider having their students take any AP language exams because they think they are too difficult. Well, not if you are a Heritage speaker. Passing the AP French language and culture will give you college credits and so help you save thousands of dollars on higher education. It will also value your school and community.

In the professional world, bilingual proficiency will often make a difference when it comes to picking up the right candidate for a job. In short, if you are a French speaker, that can be a big plus for you in the US!

With up to 20% of French speakers in their classes, the Internationals Network for Public Schools has been a strong ally of our program in New York.

This year, two new High Schools in the Bronx (Crotona International High School and Claremont International High School) are offering a French Heritage class after school 2 hours a week. 6 other International high schools continue the program with increased hours of French during the regular school days, on top of our traditional afterschool classes. As schools see the positive impacts of French classes on their students, they tend to integrate them more systematically into their regular day schedule. This is the case of Lafayette International High School in south Brooklyn, which now offers 5 hours of elective in-school French, and a preparation course to the AP exam. Bronx International High School has also wisely chosen to double its offer with 4 hours of French, again with AP French prep. All of our partner high schools now award high school credits and help their French Heritage students take the SAT 2 French and/or AP French. Furthermore, taking French at school may allow students to earn an Advanced Regents Diploma, thanks to the learning of a language other than English. All in all, more than 150 high school students are taking a French Heritage course this year. The teaching team is composed of 6 experienced and highly motivated instructors who all follow the same curriculum and academic objectives. Among them, the program has been lucky to count on one young dynamic state-certified teacher from France, Laura Murruni. Originally from the Académie de Montpellier, Laura has joined the French Heritage Language Program in September, as part of the Jules Verne teacher's exchange program between France and the United States. Starting January 2013, our teachers will also be helped by francophone teaching assistants from Brooklyn College and the Université Gaston Berger, Senegal, who will work in our classes and get community service credits.

From New York to Montpellier, Tunis and Abidjan: building transatlantic classes

The French Heritage Language Program has joined with MyTransatlanticSchool.net, an educational exchange platform developed by the French Embassy in the US, to launch pen pal connections and cultural class projects between its French Heritage students in the US and French-speaking countries in the world. This new educational tool will be a great means for our students to maintain strong links with their countries and cultures of origin! Transatlantic teachers from France, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Tunisia and Haiti have already joined the French Heritage Language Group.

What about les tout petits?

French Heritage classes are also implemented at the elementary New York French American Charter school (NYFACS), with 5 hours of classes every day for all levels, included in the school’s general curriculum, at the Malian Cultural Center (UMACA) in north Bronx, as well as in 4 churches of the Canarsie district, Brooklyn, with our partner Haitian Americans in Action.

The French heritage Language Program is today present in 4 states: New York, Florida, Maine and Massachusetts, and currently serves 700 students from elementary to high school levels.

Get involved!

Benoit Le Devedec

Coordinator of the French Heritage Language Program

Learn more about us at: http://www.facecouncil.org/fhlp/index.html

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