French immersion
Encyclopedia
French immersion is a form of bilingual education
Bilingual education
Bilingual education involves teaching academic content in two languages, in a native and secondary language with varying amounts of each language used in accordance with the program model.-Bilingual education program models:...

 in which a child who does not speak French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

 as his or her first language receives instruction in school in French. In most French-immersion schools, children will learn to speak French and learn subjects such as history, geography and science in French.

Worldwide

The Agence pour l'enseignement français à l'étranger
Agence pour l'Enseignement Français à l'Etranger
The Agency for French Teaching Abroad, , is a national public agency under the administration of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France that assures the quality of schools teaching the French national curriculum outside of France...

(AEFE) runs or funds 470 schools worldwide, with French as the primary language of instruction in most schools.

Australia

French immersion is used in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

n schools such as Mansfield State High School
Mansfield State High School
Mansfield State High School is a co-educational government secondary school of approximately 1500 students. It is located in Mansfield, a suburb in the south of Brisbane, Australia...

; teaching mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...

, SOSE
Sose
Sose or SOSE may refer to:*Social sciences, also called Studies of Society and Environment*Sose Mayrig, Armenian female fedayee*Service-oriented Software Engineering*Sins of a Solar Empire, a video game*System of systems engineering...

, science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...

 and French, entirely in French.

There is also a French immersion program offered at Methodist Ladies' College
Methodist Ladies' College, Melbourne
Methodist Ladies' College is an independent, non-selective, day and boarding school for girls, located in Kew, an eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia...

 and Benowa State High School
Benowa State High School
Benowa State High School is a co-educational school located in Gold Coast, Australia, which was founded in 1980. It is part of the Council of International Schools and hosts exchange students from Asia, America and Europe...

 teaching a variety of subjects over three years in French.

Telopea Park School
Telopea Park School
Telopea Park School is a public school in Canberra, Australia. It is named after the adjacent Telopea Park. It was founded in 1923, making it the oldest operating school in Canberra...

 in Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...

 is a bilingual French-English school.

The program is also offered at The Glennie School in Toowoomba Queensland

Canada

French immersion is offered in most Anglophone
English Canadian
An English Canadian is a Canadian of English ancestry; it is used primarily in contrast with French Canadian. Canada is an officially bilingual state, with English and French official language communities. Immigrant cultural groups ostensibly integrate into one or both of these communities, but...

 public school districts. Most early French immersion students, starting in kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...

 or Grade 1, do all their work in French, except English language arts, which usually starts in between Grades 2 and 4. Late immersion generally begins in Grade 5 or Grade 6, although these students are not usually in the same classes as early French immersion students. Some schools do not offer French immersion until later grades. Extended French programs provide a variation on late immersion, where students take some courses in English and others in French. French immersion is also done in some private school
Private school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...

s and preschools.

Several Canadian universities offer opportunities for students to continue to study subjects in either French or English, such as Simon Fraser University
Simon Fraser University
Simon Fraser University is a Canadian public research university in British Columbia with its main campus on Burnaby Mountain in Burnaby, and satellite campuses in Vancouver and Surrey. The main campus in Burnaby, located from downtown Vancouver, was established in 1965 and has more than 34,000...

 in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...

, the University of Alberta Faculté Saint-Jean
University of Alberta Faculté Saint-Jean
The Campus Saint-Jean was first a faculty of the University of Alberta located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada at 84 Avenue and Rue Marie-Anne Gaboury...

 in Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...

, the Université de Moncton
Université de Moncton
The Université de Moncton is a French language university located in Moncton, New Brunswick serving the Acadian community of Atlantic Canada...

 in New Brunswick, the Université Sainte-Anne
Université Sainte-Anne
Université Sainte-Anne is a francophone university located in the seaside town of Pointe-de-l'Église in Nova Scotia, Canada. It is the only French-language university in the province of Nova Scotia and is one of only two such universities in the Maritime Provinces, the other being the Université...

 in Nova Scotia, the Collège universitaire de Saint-Boniface
Collège universitaire de Saint-Boniface
The Université de Saint-Boniface, or USB, is a university college affiliated with the University of Manitoba and located in the Saint Boniface district of Winnipeg, Manitoba , Canada....

 of the University of Manitoba
University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba , in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, is the largest university in the province of Manitoba. It is Manitoba's most comprehensive and only research-intensive post-secondary educational institution. It was founded in 1877, making it Western Canada’s first university. It placed...

 in Winnipeg, University of Ottawa
University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa is a bilingual, research-intensive, non-denominational, international university in Ottawa, Ontario. It is one of the oldest universities in Canada. It was originally established as the College of Bytown in 1848 by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate...

, Laurentian University
Laurentian University
Laurentian University , was incorporated on March 28, 1960, is a mid-sized bilingual university in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada....

 in Sudbury, Ontario, York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....

's Glendon College
Glendon College
Glendon College is one of the two campuses of York University, Canada's third-largest university, in Toronto, Ontario. A bilingual liberal arts college with 84 full-time faculty members and a student population of about 2400, Glendon is located in midtown Toronto's Lawrence Park neighbourhood...

 in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

 and HEC Montréal
HEC Montréal
HEC Montréal , is the independent affiliated business school of the Université de Montréal, and the oldest management School in Canada. It holds accreditations from AACSB, EQUIS and AMBA, one of three schools in North America to hold triple accreditation in management education...

 in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...

. French Immersion schools in these cities tend to hire teachers trained at these institutions, due to the training having taken place in French.

The program earns support from most Canadians, largely because it promotes bilingualism. Statistics show that students in French immersion tend to outperform non-immersion students in reading while their English-language capabilities are not harmed http://www.statcan.ca/english/freepub/81-004-XIE/200406/imm.htm#c.

In 2008, an editorial in the Vancouver Sun criticized French immersion programs for having become a way for higher socioeconomic groups to obtain a publicly-funded elite track education. Since lower socioeconomic groups and children with learning and behavioral problems have lower rates of participation in French immersion, a situation has developed in which ambitious families prefer French immersion possibly more for its effective streaming
Tracking (education)
Tracking is separating pupils by academic ability into groups for all subjects or certain classes and curriculum within a school. It may be referred as streaming or phasing in certain schools. In a tracking system, the entire school population is assigned to classes according to whether the...

 than for the bilingual skills it gives to students.

French-immersion programs are offered in all ten Canadian provinces. French popularity differs by province and region. Currently, enrollment in French immersion is highest in New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...

 and Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...

, and lowest in Saskatchewan. Western Canada, which is predominantly Anglophone, is experiencing high population growth, but this has not caused a substantial increase in the number or proportion of French immersion students.

For example in Alberta, the rate of enrolment in French immersion programs has not increased since 1991, when the rate was, and remains, 5.6% of eligible students. British Columbia has seen an increase in enrolment from 5.4% in 1990-1991 to 7% currently. The table below shows the current rates of enrolment in French immersion programs. For Canada as a whole, enrolment has increased from 2.1% to 7.6%, for all provinces and territories except Quebec.
Eligible students enrolled in French immersion programs, all provinces less Quebec
Province/Territory Number Percent
 Canada 300,464 7.6%
 Newfoundland and Labrador 7,222 9.7%
 Prince Edward Island 4,108 19.2%
 Nova Scotia 14,625 10.6%
 New Brunswick 21,285 19.0%
 Ontario 154,577 7.3%
 Manitoba 17,871 9.9%
 Saskatchewan 8,858 5.4%
 Alberta 31,317 5.6%
 British Columbia 39,509 7.0%
 Yukon 462 8.8%
 Northwest Territories &  Nunavut 630 6.8%

Britain

Walker Road Primary School, Aberdeen, Scotland started an early partial immersion programme in 2000. Also, Judgemeadow Community College, Evington, in Leicester, has been using a French Immersion course in one form group a year for the last four years. Pupils answer the register in French, and their French, IT and PHSE lessons are all in French.

United States

Private French language immersion schools in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 have existed since at least the 1950s. Most of these schools receive help from the AEFE
Agence pour l'Enseignement Français à l'Etranger
The Agency for French Teaching Abroad, , is a national public agency under the administration of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France that assures the quality of schools teaching the French national curriculum outside of France...

. There are currently almost 40 of these schools in the United States.

Public school districts have run French immersion programs since 1974.
  • Montgomery County, Maryland
    Montgomery County Public Schools
    Montgomery County Public Schools ' is a school district that serves Montgomery County, Maryland, USA. It is the largest school district in Maryland. As of the 2009–2010 school year, the district had 11,500 FTE teachers serving 141,777 students at 200 schools.Students in the district score among the...

     (since 1974)
  • Milwaukee,WI, Milwaukee French Immersion School
    Milwaukee Public Schools
    Milwaukee Public Schools is the largest school district in Wisconsin. As of 2007, it had an enrollment of 87,360 students, and as of 2006 employed 6,100 full-time and substitute teachers in 223 schools. The Milwaukee Public Schools system is the 33rd largest in the United States by enrollment...

     (since 1978)
  • Holliston, Massachusetts
    Holliston, Massachusetts
    Holliston is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States in the Greater Boston area. The population was 13,547 at the 2010 census. It is part of the region known as MetroWest. Holliston is the only town in Middlesex County that borders both Norfolk and Worcester...

     (since 1979)
  • Louisiana
    Council for the Development of French in Louisiana
    The Council for the Development of French in Louisiana, or CODOFIL — known in French as le Conseil pour le développement du français en Louisiane and Konséy pou Dévelopmen di françé en Lwizyàn in Creole — is a state agency created in 1968 by the Louisiana legislature...

     (since 1984) - 26 immersion programs in 9 parishes (counties)
  • Prince George's County, Maryland
    Prince George's County Public Schools
    The Prince George's County Public Schools system is a large school district administered by the government of Prince George's County, Maryland, United States and is overseen by the Maryland State Department of Education...

     (since 1984)
  • Eugene, Oregon
    Eugene School District
    Eugene School District is a public school district in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is one of two school districts that serve the city of Eugene.-Demographics:...

     (since 1984)
  • Miami
    Miami-Dade County Public Schools
    Miami-Dade County Public Schools is a public school district serving Miami-Dade County, Florida. Founded in 1885, it is the largest school district in Florida and the Southeastern United States, and the fourth largest in the United States, with a student enrollment of 380,006 as of July 5, 2010...

     (since 1986)
  • Kansas City, Missouri
    Kansas City, Missouri
    Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...

  • Milton, Massachusetts
    Milton, Massachusetts
    Milton is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States and part of the Greater Boston area. The population was 27,003 at the 2010 census. Milton is the birthplace of former U.S. President George H. W. Bush and architect Buckminster Fuller. Milton also has the highest percentage of...

     (since 1987)
  • Columbus, Ohio (since 1987)
  • Edina, Minnesota (since 1991)
  • San Diego, California
    San Diego Unified School District
    San Diego Unified School District is the school district of San Diego, California. It was founded in 1854...

     (since 1994)
  • Madawaska, Maine
    Madawaska, Maine
    Madawaska is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,035 at the 2010 census. Madawaska is opposite Edmundston in Madawaska County in New Brunswick, Canada, to which it is connected by the Edmundston-Madawaska Bridge. Today many of its residents speak French; 83.4% of...

     (since 1995)
  • St. Paul, Minnesota
    Saint Paul Public Schools
    Saint Paul Public Schools is a school district that covers all of the city of Saint Paul, Minnesota.Saint Paul supports a robust network of publicly-funded primary and secondary schools....

     (since 1996)
  • New York
    New York City Department of Education
    The New York City Department of Education is the branch of municipal government in New York City that manages the city's public school system. It is the largest school system in the United States, with over 1.1 million students taught in more than 1,700 separate schools...

     (since 2007)
  • Fairfax County, Virginia
    Fairfax County Public Schools
    The Fairfax County Public Schools system is a branch of the Fairfax County government which administers public schools in Fairfax County and the City of Fairfax...

  • Henrico County, Virginia
    Henrico County Public Schools
    The Henrico County Public Schools system is a Virginia school division that operates as a functional and independent branch of the Henrico County, Virginia, county government, and administers public schools in the county. Henrico County Public Schools has five International Baccalaureate schools--J.R...

     - High school French immersion program
  • Lake Charles, Louisiana
    Lake Charles, Louisiana
    Lake Charles is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Located in Calcasieu Parish, a major cultural, industrial, and educational center in the southwest region of the state, and one of the most important in...

    (since 1985)


The Southern part of Louisiana has a strong French heritage extending back to colonial times. During the mid- to late twentieth century, however, the number of native French speakers in Louisiana plunged as the region became increasingly enveloped in mainstream American culture. As a result, French immersion was viewed by parents and educators as a way to save the French language in Louisiana.

External links

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