Why are there no French dual language programs at neighborhood schools?

[Anonymous]

I'm wondering why there aren't French dual language programs like how Cleveland, Tyler, etc. have Spanish. I would be thrilled for DD to take French, and despair of ever getting her into Stokes. I know a handful of native French-speaking kids in town so there must be more. It could be just the thing to draw people into an underenrolled school. Why not?

[Anonymous]

It's not a dual-language program, but Shepherd students can study either French or Spanish.

It's one of the 3 DCPS Intl Baccalaureate elementary schools, which probably accounts for the additional language options. The other two are Thomson (offers Chinese) and Harris.

You should talk to your in-bound principal and the world languages department at DCPS to see what it would take to start a program.

[Anonymous]

Stokes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Stokes

OP mentioned stokes and was lamenting the difficulty getting in.

And asked about neighborhood, aka DCPS schools.

[Anonymous]

Not ebogoing that primarily-French speaking children to make it worth DCPS's while? I've heard Fairfax PCS has a French immersion school.

[Anonymous]

My aren’t we getting fancy? French is seen as more elistist than inclusive. Maybe ask DCPS to serve Grey Poupon with school lunches? LOL.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My aren’t we getting fancy? French is seen as more elistist than inclusive. Maybe ask DCPS to serve Grey Poupon with school lunches? LOL.

Excuse you? There's plenty of French on this map and there are plenty of French-speaking immigrants from places other than France and Quebec. Try Senegal. https://patch.com/district-columbia/washingtondc/cool-map-shows-what-languages-are-spoken-dc-where

[Anonymous]

My kid recently switched from our IB DCPS to a French immersion school near DC. There are families there from France but also francophone African countries, Haiti, etc. There is definitely a significant French-speaking population in the DC area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid recently switched from our IB DCPS to a French immersion school near DC. There are families there from France but also francophone African countries, Haiti, etc. There is definitely a significant French-speaking population in the DC area.

If you are describing the francophone population in DC as "significant" then what word would you use to describe the hispanic/latino population?

OP, DC and other cities have spanish dual language schools because there is a large and increasing Spanish-speaking demographic in the school-aged population. Roughly half or a third of public school students in some neighborhoods. There may not be any neighborhood in DC with >1 percent francophone so it would be better as a charter or other non-boundary school. Same with Russian, German etc.

[Anonymous]

OP, I am not unsympathetic to the idea. I would love for my child to take French and there certainly are a number of French-speaking folks, I know several families just in my little neighborhood. But it's not likely to happen.

I did ask our principal this one time, and here's what she said. Basically, it's hard to get from here to there. If the current parents at the school don't support it, they will ask quite reasonably why you are so concerned about potential future students instead of the priorities of the students you do have. And it costs more and is harder to administer. If you already have a large number of Spanish-speaking folks, Spanish is an easier sell. A French-speaking school would need to serve a lot of out-of-boundary kids just to fill up. Now, with the new chancellor seeming supposedly more open to magnet school concepts, maybe that wouldn't be seen as a bad thing.

Also, if it's going to be a magnet, it might not be French or any language. Some people will want Montessori, some people will want STEM, some will want music and the arts, etc. It's hard to get folks to settle on a concept.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid recently switched from our IB DCPS to a French immersion school near DC. There are families there from France but also francophone African countries, Haiti, etc. There is definitely a significant French-speaking population in the DC area.

If you are describing the francophone population in DC as "significant" then what word would you use to describe the hispanic/latino population?

OP, DC and other cities have spanish dual language schools because there is a large and increasing Spanish-speaking demographic in the school-aged population. Roughly half or a third of public school students in some neighborhoods. There may not be any neighborhood in DC with >1 percent francophone so it would be better as a charter or other non-boundary school. Same with Russian, German etc.

"Even larger"?

I think it could work as a non-boundary school. Why not? If the new Chancellor is on board with the magnet concept, I think it's a great idea. French is a handy language, and with so many people taking Spanish it can be an asset to speak something different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid recently switched from our IB DCPS to a French immersion school near DC. There are families there from France but also francophone African countries, Haiti, etc. There is definitely a significant French-speaking population in the DC area.

If you are describing the francophone population in DC as "significant" then what word would you use to describe the hispanic/latino population?

OP, DC and other cities have spanish dual language schools because there is a large and increasing Spanish-speaking demographic in the school-aged population. Roughly half or a third of public school students in some neighborhoods. There may not be any neighborhood in DC with >1 percent francophone so it would be better as a charter or other non-boundary school. Same with Russian, German etc.

"Even larger"?

I think it could work as a non-boundary school. Why not? If the new Chancellor is on board with the magnet concept, I think it's a great idea. French is a handy language, and with so many people taking Spanish it can be an asset to speak something different.

The DCPS priority is to increase dual language opportunities in Wards 7 and 8 where they barely exist. But they want them to be neighborhood schools. If that's not your neighborhood perhaps you can get in OOB.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid recently switched from our IB DCPS to a French immersion school near DC. There are families there from France but also francophone African countries, Haiti, etc. There is definitely a significant French-speaking population in the DC area.

If you are describing the francophone population in DC as "significant" then what word would you use to describe the hispanic/latino population?

OP, DC and other cities have spanish dual language schools because there is a large and increasing Spanish-speaking demographic in the school-aged population. Roughly half or a third of public school students in some neighborhoods. There may not be any neighborhood in DC with >1 percent francophone so it would be better as a charter or other non-boundary school. Same with Russian, German etc.

PP here. Of course, the Spanish-speaking population is much larger; I thought that went without saying. I was just commenting that there is also a not insignificant number of people who speak French in the area too. We know several families in our neighborhood, and both staff and kids at our IB school—my Ker had a couple of kids in class last year who spoke French. I have French-speaking coworkers, and also hear it spoken regularly by passersby downtown.

I agree that because there isn’t a concentration of French-speaking families anywhere in DC, the idea of instituting a French immersion school in any particular neighborhood would be tough. However, I wonder if an idea like Oyster would work. Just brainstorming here—perhaps make an up-and-coming, centrally located EOTP school a French immersion. IB families can attend by right, and let kids from all over the city test in. Seems you’d have the makings of a desirable and racially/socioeconomically diverse school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid recently switched from our IB DCPS to a French immersion school near DC. There are families there from France but also francophone African countries, Haiti, etc. There is definitely a significant French-speaking population in the DC area.

If you are describing the francophone population in DC as "significant" then what word would you use to describe the hispanic/latino population?

OP, DC and other cities have spanish dual language schools because there is a large and increasing Spanish-speaking demographic in the school-aged population. Roughly half or a third of public school students in some neighborhoods. There may not be any neighborhood in DC with >1 percent francophone so it would be better as a charter or other non-boundary school. Same with Russian, German etc.

PP here. Of course, the Spanish-speaking population is much larger; I thought that went without saying. I was just commenting that there is also a not insignificant number of people who speak French in the area too. We know several families in our neighborhood, and both staff and kids at our IB school—my Ker had a couple of kids in class last year who spoke French. I have French-speaking coworkers, and also hear it spoken regularly by passersby downtown.

I agree that because there isn’t a concentration of French-speaking families anywhere in DC, the idea of instituting a French immersion school in any particular neighborhood would be tough. However, I wonder if an idea like Oyster would work. Just brainstorming here—perhaps make an up-and-coming, centrally located EOTP school a French immersion. IB families can attend by right, and let kids from all over the city test in. Seems you’d have the makings of a desirable and racially/socioeconomically diverse school.

Oyster began as an IB school. That's its history ... but then the neighborhood gentrified beyond all recognition.

If you want French immersion you need try for stokes, pay for WIS or the Lycee.

If you're ok with it as a foreign language, but not immersion, move into Shepherd's attendance zone or apply for an OOB seat.

[Anonymous]

There are no DCPS schools with French because there are not any neighborhoods that are primarily French-speaking in DC. Try haricots vert?

http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/298791.page