1. 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
2. ¤ 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
3. 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
4. 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
5. 0
100
200
300
400
500
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
6. 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
12. 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
13. 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
14. Bambara
9%
French
40%
Fulani
13%
Creole
26%
Wolof
7%
Arabic
5%
What
languages
other
than
English
are
spoken
in
your
home?
15.
16. 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
17. 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
18.
19.
20.
21.
22. 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.
23. 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
24. Direct and indirect sources of funding
0
50000
100000
150000
200000
250000
300000
350000
400000
450000
500000
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
25. Integration into NYC public schools
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
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
