French team visits schools
Immersion programs observed
LAFAYETTE — A small delegation of French education officials visited Lafayette schools Monday as part of its review of French immersion programs in the United States.
The visit is part of a 10-state trek to identify best practices and identify how the French government could provide support to French immersion programs in the United States, said Philippe Aldon, attaché of Cooperation and Cultural Service for the Consulate General of France in New Orleans.
“Louisiana is the most important state because of the number of schools and the number of students,” said Jean-Claude Duthion, head of Cooperation in Education for the French Embassy in Washington, D.C.
The state’s French history and the involvement of the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana also make Louisiana a unique place to observe, said Pierre-Yves Roux, head of projects at the French Department of the Centre International d’Etudes Pédagogiques in Sèvres, France.
“About 25 percent of the French immersion schools in the United States are in Louisiana,” Roux said.
On Monday, the small group visited Lafayette High, Prairie Elementary and Paul Breaux Middle School. The delegation also planned to visit East Baton Rouge, Jefferson and Orleans parishes this week before ending their 10-state tour in Oklahoma.
On the visits, the delegation observes programs for efficiency, curriculum and any issues the programs may face, Roux explained.
“I think one of the most important things is to find links” — or the opportunities for students to continue their immersion studies beyond the primary grade levels, Roux said.
The officials were pleased to find French immersion students in Lafayette had the option to continue their studies through high school. In Lafayette Parish, French education is offered at each school level with students attending Lafayette High for advanced French courses and the option to dual enroll at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, said Nicole Boudreaux, Lafayette Parish School System lead teacher for immersion programs.
Other states visited by the group: Minnesota, Utah, Massachusetts, New York, Washington, Maryland, North Carolina, and Florida.
Following the visits, Roux will report to the French government his observations and submit recommendations.
“We’re trying to get their learning in French (immersion) validated,” Boudreaux said. “It would enable them to enter any French university.”
The Council for the Development of French in Louisiana, headquartered in Lafayette, works with Francophone countries to recruit teachers for Louisiana’s French studies programs.
French immersion programs are offered to 3,715 students in nine parishes: Lafayette, Iberia, St. Landry, St. Martin, East Baton Rouge, Assumption, Calcasieu, Jefferson and Orleans, according to figures provided by CODOFIL.
Lafayette Parish has the largest French immersion enrollment in the state at 928 students, said Jean-Robert Frigault, of CODOFIL. Frigault serves as a liaison for CODOFIL’s foreign teachers.
French immersion enrollment in Louisiana
Lafayette: 928
Orleans: 467 (exclusive of charter school immersion programs)
Calcasieu: 389
St. Martin: 248
Iberia: 233
Assumption: 188
East Baton Rouge: 160
Jefferson: 172
St. Landry: 131
Source: CODOFIL