Ending late French immersion a problem

Re: Data reveal issues with newcomers, low-income kids in Ottawa streaming into English, not French immersion, Oct. 30.

This article clearly highlights the negative impact of the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board’s decision to eliminate the late French Immersion program and its entry point in Grade 7 a number of years ago.

It would be relevant to go back and analyze the demographic information from enrolment in that program since it offered new Canadians an opportunity to access French immersion if their children were older when entering the school system.

The late French Immersion program data may show that a large number of those students were from new Canadian families and since it was abandoned, so, too, was the opportunity for this demographic to become functionally bilingual and pursue French immersion in high school with academic stream courses. Now, the only option is a private school in Ottawa offering this program for grades 7 and 8, which is a financial barrier to many new Canadian families.

The school board must find ways to reverse this trend by ensuring that French immersion information is available in the community in target languages spoken by new Canadians and to assist families who want their child to access French immersion programs. One strategy could be having French immersion ambassador students from each high school or French immersion parents as key contacts for parents new to the system.

Equity of access begins with available information, robust communication strategies and a shift in mindset focused on offering opportunity and not on limiting potential. Many new Canadians already speak more than one language and learning English and French simultaneously can be successfully achieved for their children. Monika Ferenczy, BA, BEd., MEd., Horizon Educational Consulting, Ottawa