A French DLP in a public school Downtown Manhattan?
Bilingual education for children is the future of education in New York City with many public
and private schools already realizing that future now. There are over 400 Spanish Dual Language
Programs, 7 French DLPs and countless others languages in the city but very few Downtown.
Why a Dual Language Program?
Studying two languages side by side in school across the curriculum in a DLP would give students the opportunity to share ideas, experiences, and play with their peers in another language than English. Cognitive studies show too the benefits on the brain of Dual Language leaners and the increased empathy and cultural awareness.
And results from the recent first graduating elementary school children in French DLPs in the city show higher test scores, higher retention, and acceptance at the best middle schools.
While ultimately the language doesn't matter, as it is bilingualism that is most important, like all things in public school, DLPs require support. In addition to committed families in the community hoping to see a French DLP Downtown, the French DLP Committee, which includes parents, the French Embassy, and other engaged leaders in the NYC community, is an non-profit organization committe to helping French DLPs with resources in the classroom, from French language books, translations of school specific materials, to classroom support, to scholarships to teachers doing bilingual extensions. We will thus have a helping hand though out the process. French is also an official language of the UN, a language spoken in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas, and a language spoken by 22,000 francophone children in NYC.
When would it begin?
If possible and approved by the school, a French DLP would begin with a Kindergarten and a 1st grade class in the fall of 2014.
How would it work'
Half the class would be native French language speakers and the other half anglophones. Instruction is in both subjects across the curriculum. Typically a bilingual instructor would teach the class.
How can I get involved?
Please go to http://bit.ly/19L9MdY and sign our Parent Interest Form
dlp.downtown@gmail.com - www.facebook.com/dIpdowntown
https://sites.google.com/site/d1pdowntownnyc/
Invitation to December 5 French DLP benefit at the French Consulate
RSVP andrewhclark@gmail.com
