Should HISD start a dual American-French academic program for French families in Houston? (Mission: preschool, college)

[Vicman]

As we know, the Awty School in Spring Branch has a French section. However I wonder if HISD has thought of installing its own French academic program.

In Chicago there is a "French-American" program in which students inside two public schools (one K-8, one 9-12), Abraham Lincoln and Lincoln Park, may study in a French academic program which results in the Baccalaureate (French high school diploma). Mission and operation of the school | This program is offered even though there is also a private French school in the same city!

If HISD is to set up a similar program it could check with the French consulate to see where French national families live in the Houston area. If there is a cluster around, say, Southampton, maybe HISD could establish such a program in Poe Elementary, Lanier Middle, and Lamar High.

[baggiegenes]

My question is why French? Couldn't the same be said for Norwegian, or Dutch, or some other western European system based on IB program with a high concentration of expats working for the various oil companies?

I am all for dual language/cultural education as an optional program for interested students and families. Just curious why French is always the first option brought up. Does their consulate have a greater interest in starting these programs in foreign countries?

[Dopo]

What's the different between what you are proposing and just taking French in school?

BTW,
I'll never understand why kids are not taught Spanish starting in 1st grade.
I bet by 2nd grade they would be fluent.

[Svensk08]

Several HISD high schools offer the International Baccalaureate program; intensive courses in a foreign language are part of the IB curriculum. Friends who graduated with an IB diploma in addition to the regular HISD high school diploma became fluent in the languages they studied and continue to use them in business and social settings. I believe the middle schools that are feeder schools for those high schools still have a rigorous Pre-IB Program.

[Vicman]

Originally Posted by Dopo

What's the different between what you are proposing and just taking French in school?

BTW,
I'll never understand why kids are not taught Spanish starting in 1st grade.
I bet by 2nd grade they would be fluent.

The students would be able to earn a French high school diploma in additiom to an American one, and they take classes according to the French national curriculum in addition to the American one.

[fnh]

One, the French curriculum is rigid and wholly standardized worldwide. In a state that rebukes even U.S. national standards, why do you think people would welcome oversight from the French Ministry of Education? It is the polar opposite of local control.

Two, the French education system is not particularly strong. France performs only about average on PISA (the U.S. is below average but there is not yet a national standard.) German education would be a better choice, or even Dutch, or Swiss, or Finnish, or Canadian...

Three, there is no benefit to having a French Bac if the student is likely to attend college in the states and indeed most people I know feel it is a disadvantage. Even at Awty many families in the French section switch to the IB for high school. HISD needs to serve the majority of its constituents, and honestly most of them will attend college in Texas if they attend college at all.

I have a child in the French section at Awty. In my opinion it is better than a Texas public school education but not as good as a public education in, say, Massachusetts.

[Vicman]

Originally Posted by fnh

One, the French curriculum is rigid and wholly standardized worldwide. In a state that rebukes even U.S. national standards, why do you think people would welcome oversight from the French Ministry of Education? It is the polar opposite of local control.

Two, the French education system is not particularly strong. France performs only about average on PISA (the U.S. is below average but there is not yet a national standard.) German education would be a better choice, or even Dutch, or Swiss, or Finnish, or Canadian...

Three, there is no benefit to having a French Bac if the student is likely to attend college in the states and indeed most people I know feel it is a disadvantage. Even at Awty many families in the French section switch to the IB for high school. HISD needs to serve the majority of its constituents, and honestly most of them will attend college in Texas if they attend college at all.

I have a child in the French section at Awty. In my opinion it is better than a Texas public school education but not as good as a public education in, say, Massachusetts.

Thank you for the thoughtful reply! It leads me to ask:

1. What would be the main differences between Texas and Illinois' systems? The latter acepts the French authority and vice versa. What would the former need to do to catch up with the latter?
2. Wouldn't liberal city dwellers be more accepting of oversight? Isn't the arrangement up to the ISD and not so much the state government?
3. Is there an increasing trend of IB instead of the Bac over at Awty?

I think a German abitur program eould be good gor the Houston area

[geolvl]

There are actually laws that mandate that the state open at least one dual language class for a language if there are enough speakers of a particular language the must provide at least a class in that language. I'm pretty sure the goal isn't to be like Europe (even though that would be good), but more to give children from all backgrounds language opportunities and to turn around some poor performing schools. There are actually quite a few Fr speakers in Houston. Awty is turning people away. I'm excited about a new Fr program, which should open in Fall 2016. If there are parents that want a German program they need to group together and approach HISD to make it happen. If there's the energy, I'm sure it can be done. There is German preschool here already.

[Houston321]

I'm pretty sure the goal isn't to be like Europe (even though that would be good),

Oh lord, please no.

[Vicman]

One idea could be to make it a "Europrogram" to combine both the French baccalaureate and German abitur programs into the same campus (students may be in one or the other). HISD IMO should make it like Chicago's program and embed the program in two or three existing HISD schools.

Does anyone have ideas on which HISD campuses would be the best places for these programs?

If the best place is Central Houston: I am thinking Poe Elementary, Lanier Middle School, and Lamar High School. If Poe has too little space, maybe Woodrow Wilson for K-8? Also if the old HSPVA campus is vacated, maybe it can be repurposed as a K-8?

If the best place is the Uptown area: St. George Place Elementary, Grady Middle, and Lamar High School?