JOE FRIESEN

DEMOGRAPHICS REPORTER — The Globe and Mail

Published Monday, Jan. 28 2013, 9:05 PM EST

 

Andrea Kavanagh is a child of French immersion’s first wave. Born in the heart of English-speaking Winnipeg in 1971, she was just 10 years old when she rode two buses 30 minutes across town every day to attend the city’s first immersion school. She went on to a French-language college and eventually a career as a French teacher.

INFOGRAPHIC

Graphic: Immersion chart

VIDEO

Video: Small Quebec town ordered to end bilingualism

MEDIA

Report on the effects of bilingualism on cognitive health

Bilingualism transformed her life. It opened the door to opportunities that would have otherwise passed her by. Now she wants to pass on those same opportunities to her three children, all of whom attend the local French immersion school. They represent a little-studied but growing segment of Canada: French immersion’s second generation.

Over the last five years enrolment in French immersion has skyrocketed across the country. It’s up 12 per cent since 2006, according to new figures from Statistics Canada. And the timing of this jump coincides with the period in which the children of the first cohort to attend French immersion started to arrive at elementary schools.

French immersion began with a single school in Quebec in 1965, but it didn’t really start to spread across the country until the mid 1970s. Manitoba, for example, opened its first immersion school in 1973 at l’école Sacré-Coeur, where Ms. Kavanagh completed Grade 6. By 1977 there were 45,000 students in French immersion in all of Canada, a number that increased by six and a half times over the next 15 years, passing 300,000 in 1991-92.

Numbers have ebbed and flowed slightly since then, but 2011 marks an all-time high of more than 342,000 students in elementary and secondary immersion programs. Even more remarkable, that increase occurred when the number of children in school is declining.

“Right now we seem to be in a general growth pattern. Both B.C. and Alberta have been maintaining a consistent growth rate for 12 or 14 years. Ontario went through a rough patch but is now marking extremely impressive growth rates and Saskatchewan has taken off lately as well,” said Robert Rothon, national executive director of Canadian Parents for French.

“Broadly speaking, demand always outstrips capacity. If school districts had larger capacity you’d see even bigger growth rates.”

In York Region north of Toronto, to take one example, French immersion enrolment has more than doubled over the last decade. In British Columbia, Mr. Rothon said, it’s not uncommon to see parents line up in school parking lots overnight to ensure their child can get a spot. In other districts, coveted slots are awarded via lottery and the unlucky are forced to attend the English stream. Often it’s a lack of capable teachers that restricts the number of immersion places in some districts.

Mr. Rothon said it’s difficult to say whether it’s one factor in particular driving the explosion in demand for immersion.

Anelia Coppes, who lives in Parry Sound, Ont., decided to enroll her son in immersion because his older siblings insisted they had missed opportunities because of their unilingual education. She and her husband were also convinced by something the school’s principal told them.

“One of the things the principal mentioned is that we don’t have enrichment programs, but he said the next best thing is a French immersion program,” Ms. Coppes recalled.

The children in her son’s class tend to be from families with higher levels of education, she added.

“The kids, their parents are doctors, lawyers, university educated. Not all, but the demographics are not the same as the rest of the school.”

She sees that as both a positive and negative, since she wants her son to get along with people from all walks of life. Still, he seems to be thriving, she said.

The first wave of French immersion graduates were hitting their mid-30s in the 2006 to 2001 period when these new statistics were gathered. The average age at first birth in Canada is 28, so their children were likely beginning to arrive at school in the middle part of the last decade. The size of that group isn’t clear, but there is some evidence that French immersion students considered the education they received enough of an advantage to want to pass it on. A 1990 study of an early wave of French immersion graduates in Saskatchewan found that more than 80 per cent said they wanted their children to follow in their footsteps by pursuing immersion.

“We’re now seeing a generational transition,” Mr. Rothon said. “It hasn’t really been documented yet. Once we start seeing its extent we should start to see it influencing government policy.”

Mr. Rothon said the children of immersion are creating something like a new linguistic category. They go home to environments where one or two parents are capable of speaking French with them and helping with their homework. It’s not the same as living in an easily defined anglophone or francophone environment, yet it still represents a change from earlier generations. By choosing to continue with French immersion into a second generation, these families are saying, “This is part of how we grew up and this is who we are as Canadians,” Mr. Rothon said.

Ms. Kavanagh has so immersed herself in French that these days she is often mistaken for a francophone. While her father was interested in French, her level of involvement in her children’s education is clearly at a different level. She is capable of correcting their grammar and usage and they don’t cringe or recoil when she speaks to them in another language.

She said her husband, who graduated from a regular stream, was easily convinced that French immersion would be best for their kids. He was persuaded by research that demonstrates its advantages for brain development and memory, as well as the way a second language can broaden horizons. He also saw the advantages she had in applying for jobs when she was a student, when she found high paying work, first at the City of Winnipeg, then at VIA Rail and a Parks Canada historic site, in large part because of bilingualism.

“I am a big believer because I think it’s a painless way to learn another language,” Ms. Kavanagh said. “Even if they come out and are only able to understand it, rather than speak it, that’s still a big advantage.”

Many immersion students lose their French over time, a fact often cited by critics. Attrition rates are high. Every year, most schools lose 5 to 10 per cent of their immersion students in each grade, so by Grade 12, the class that started together a dozen years earlier will be considerably reduced in size. It’s also clear from Statistics Canada data that hard-won bilingualism tends to decline in the years after graduation. On the 1996 census,16.3 per cent of those aged 15 to 19 said they were bilingual. Fifteen years later on the 2011 census only 9.6 per cent of that cohort still considered themselves bilingual, according to Environics Analytics.

Justin Lee, a French immersion student at York House school in Vancouver in the mid-1970s, said he and his wife were thrilled when they won a lottery to get their children into French immersion at Henry Hudson Elementary School in Vancouver.

They moved back to Canada from the U.S. specifically so their children could attend Canadian schools. But their interest in French had nothing to do with Canadian identity or the ideal of bilingualism and everything to do with educational advantage, he said.

“It’s part of the public school system, so it’s free. We thought it was sort of a no-brainer,” Mr. Lee said. “We’re both big believers in being able to speak multiple languages.”

Mr. Lee’s own parents, originally from the U.K., chose French immersion for him because they didn’t think the Canadian school system was sufficiently demanding, he said. And he thinks it’s amazing that so many people in North America only learn a single tongue.

Lori Chang-Foidl’s family spoke Cantonese at home in Calgary in the 1970s. Her parents were immigrants from Macau and Trinidad, and though neither spoke French they believed that their children, born into a bilingual country, should learn both languages, she said. When her own daughter was born the first thing she did was start looking for a French immersion school. Today her daughter is pursuing French as part of a double major at university.

“I don’t know of any parents of [French immersion] students who have regretted the decision to enroll them in a bilingual program. It’s a bit of a mystery to me why parents are hesitant or negative towards the idea,” Ms. Chang-Foidl said.

• Record number: More than 342,000 students attended immersion programs in elementary and secondary schools in 2011 – an all-time high number, compared to 45,000 in 1977; 300,000 in 1992; and 318,000 in 2000.
• On the 1996 census, 16.3 per cent of those aged 15-19 said they were bilingual; 15 years later in 2011, only 9.7 per cent of that cohort, now aged 30-34, said they were bilingual, according to Environics Analytics.
• The retention rate in 2011 for French-immersion students from kindergarten to Grade 6 in the Toronto District School Board was 70 per cent.

June 5, 2012                                                                                                      

Vancouver – With the closing of another school year, Canadian Parents for French – BC & Yukon Branch is pleased to announce yet another year of increased enrollment in the province’s French Immersion program. In fact, 2011-12 marks a record fourteenth consecutive year of growth for French Immersion in British Columbia.

According to data for 2011-12 provided by the BC Ministry of Education, 46,856 public school students were enrolled in French Immersion programs, an increase of 2,008 students over the previous year. French Immersion students now account for 8.1% of the total public school enrolment, a record setting statistic in Canada’s westernmost province.

Table 1 - French Immersion- Enrolment Statistics 2011-2012 - BC Public Schools only

“For more than 40 years, French Immersion in Canada has had overwhelmingly positive results, and is often recognized as one of the most successful language-teaching programs in the world,” said Debra Pool, CPF BC & Yukon President. “CPF members continue to work with local school districts and community organizations to help strengthen and expand French Second Language educational and cultural programming. Unfortunately, the increasing demand for French Immersion still outweighs the seat capacity in many districts resulting in capped enrollment. It is therefore important that we continue to expect and plan for sustained program growth.”

Attachments:

2012.06.05.BC FI Press Release - Enrollment 2011-2012

[ ]

358 Kb

February 7th, 2012

Vancouver, BC — A delegation from Canadian Parents for French (CPF) - BC & Yukon Branch appeared before the Senate Standing Committee on Official Languages Monday to propose bold ideas to strengthen the presence and vitality of Canada’s second Official Language in BC & the Yukon.  

Among topics discussed was the need for additional Federal investments in French Second Language education, a more inclusive Federal policy favouring linguistic space, and a broader definition of Francophone to include Francophiles. Furthermore, CPF proposed a conversation between Ottawa and the Council of Ministers of Education Canada regarding the creation of a single French language program for Francophone and Francophone youth in order to support French education - particularly in small communities where both Francophone and French Immersion programs are not separately viable.

“We’re at a point in linguistic development where there are second and third generation French immersion graduates and families in BC & the Yukon. The presence and vitality of French language, culture, education, and services would be strengthened if the definition of Francophone would be broadened to include the 7% of British Columbians who speak and or who have embraced the French language and culture,”[i] said Glyn Lewis, Executive Director of Canadian Parents for French BC & Yukon Branch.

“Our objective with the Senate sub-committee was to present ideas which we hope will initiate a national discussion about ways to help strengthen the reality and the vitality of Canada’s two Official Languages in communities large and small from coast, to coast, to coast,” concluded Lewis.

There are currently over 275,000 students enrolled in French Second Language programs in British Columbia. The French immersion program in particular is currently experiencing its fourteenth consecutive year of enrolment growth, accounting for 7.7% of the province’s entire student population.

Canadian Parents for French (CPF) is a national network of parent volunteers who work to promote and ensure quality and equitable access to French second language educational and cultural opportunities for all youth. The CPF-BC & Yukon branch is by far the largest in Canada with over 8,100 members.

You can view the senate meeting here.

For more information, please contact:

Glyn Lewis, Executive Director

Canadian Parents for French BC & Yukon Branch

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it – 778-329-9115 (ext. 316)

www.cpf.bc.ca

Attachments:

CPF Senate Appearance

[ ]

319 Kb

Released: January 18th, 2012

Vancouver, BC — Parents in Chilliwack, BC, are taking to social media to drum-up community support for the creation of a new Early French immersion program which would open September 2012. It is the first time in the 43 years that French immersion has been offered in BC that parents have lead a social media-based campaign to engage other parents and to lobby school trustees.

Currently, the absence of an Early French immersion (EFI) program in Chilliwack means that students who wish to enroll in French immersion must travel outside of their school district to attend school in Abbotsford, where EFI is offered.

“Using the connective power of Facebook and Twitter, parents in Chilliwack are taking it upon themselves to drum-up support for the creation of a new French immersion program in their community,” said Glyn Lewis, Executive Director of Canadian Parents for French – BC & Yukon.

“For 33 years, French immersion parents have used telephone trees, newsletters, and good ol’ fashioned living room meetings to spread the word and to organize the parent community. This group of social media-savvy parents in Chilliwack is ushering in a new and exciting age of parent engagement and involvement,” concluded Lewis.

There are over 275,000 students enrolled in French immersion, Intensive French or French as a subject in BC and the Yukon. When broken down further, 44,800 students (or 7.7% of the entire student population) in BC is enrolled in a French immersion program1.

Canadian Parents for French (CPF) is a national network of parent volunteers who work to promote and ensure quality and equitable access to French second language opportunities for all youth. The CPF BC & Yukon branch is by far the largest in Canada with over 8,100 members.    

Released: January 16th, 2012

Vancouver, BC — The Fraser Institute released today a study[1] that shows that provincial and federal governments are spending $2.4 billion a year on minority-language education and services in Canada. Of this amount, British Columbia received $9.5 million for French second language education in 2006/2007.

“French is the second most common language in British Columbia, in part because the parent community has been flocking to French second language programs since they were first introduced in 1968,” said Glyn Lewis, Executive Director of Canadian Parents for French – BC & Yukon. (Source: La Fédération des francophones de la Colombie-Britannique.)

“A nominal annual investment by the federal government of $10 million ensures that the 275,000 students currently enrolled in French second language studies in BC have equitable access to quality French educational programming,” he concluded.

French second language programs include French immersion, Intensive French or French as a subject. When broken down further, 44,800 students (or 7.7% of the entire student population) in BC are enrolled in a French immersion program[2].

Canadian Parents for French (CPF) is a national network of parent volunteers who work to promote and ensure quality and equitable access to French second language opportunities for all youth. The CPF-BC & Yukon branch is by far the largest in Canada with over 8,100 members.    

- 30 -

For more information, please contact:

Glyn Lewis, Executive Director
Canadian Parents for French
BC & Yukon Branch
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it – 778-329-9115 (ext. 316)
www.cpf.bc.ca


Related article:

The National Post: Bilingual requirement for government costs $2.4-billion per year

[1] Fraser Institute Report: Official Language Policies of the Canadian Provinces Costs and Benefits

Released: November 22, 2011

Vancouver, BC — Canadian Parents for French (CPF) – BC & Yukon is pleased to announce the BC Ministry of Education has reversed a controversial curriculum proposal which would have demoted the significance of French in BC’s public education system.

In late 2010, the BC Ministry of Education proposed new curriculum for second language instruction which re-categorized French as an “Additional Language” along with German, Japanese, Mandarin and others. Recently, and after much public debate, the Ministry released a revised K – 12 curriculum document which makes a distinction between French and other languages of instruction.

“We are pleased to see the BC Ministry of Education recognize the unique status of both official languages in BC’s education system,” said Glyn Lewis, Interim Executive Director of CPF BC & Yukon Branch. “French – an official language of Canada – should act as a gateway to other languages,” concluded Lewis.

CPF BC & Yukon is grateful that the Ministry of Education has listened and positively responded to Francophile and Francophone organizations, language coordinators, CPF and other stakeholders who strongly opposed the re-categorization of French as one of many other “additional” languages of instruction.

There are over 275,000 students enrolled in French immersion, Intensive French or French as a second language in BC & the Yukon.

Canadian Parents for French is a national network of parent volunteers who work to promote and ensure quality French Second Language programs and activities for all youth.

For more information, please contact:

Glyn Lewis, Interim Executive Director
Canadian Parents for French BC & Yukon Branch
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it — 778-329-9115 (ext. 316)
www.cpf.bc.ca

The revised Draft French Curriculum may be viewed at http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/drafts/french.pdf

More information on the original draft curriculum proposal:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2011/02/04/bc-language-cirriculum.html

Related articles:
French will maintain favoured status in BC schools
BC backs off plan to devalue school French
BC abandons plan to demote French-language instruction

Attachments:

Additional Languages Curriculum FAQ	[Additional Languages Curriculum FAQ]	57 Kb
Media Release: BC Ministry of Education reverses controversial language decision	[CPF Media Release - BC Ministry of Education reverses controversial language decision]	21 Kb

Released: September 8, 2011

Vancouver, BC –  Canadian Parents for French (CPF) BC & Yukon, the largest French second language advocacy group in B.C., is pleased to announce the appointment of a new Executive Director as the new school year kicks-off.

Robert Rothon, who served as the Executive Director of CPF – BC &Yukon Branch since 2008, was recently selected as the National Executive Director of Canadian Parents for French. The CPF - BC & Yukon Branch is pleased to announce the appointment of Glyn Lewis as Interim Executive Director.

“French immersion enrolment is at a record high. Parents from Victoria to Fort St. John are recognizing the life-long benefits of official language opportunities within the public school system,” says Glyn Lewis.

There are over 275,000 students enrolled in French immersion, Intensive French or French as a subject in BC and the Yukon in the public school system. This fall comes on the heels of the twelfth straight year of enrolment growth in the French immersion program in B.C.; 7.7% of the entire public school student population - or 44,800 students - are now registered in the French immersion program.

Canadian Parents for French BC & Yukon is available for comment on the back-to-school challenges facing French second language programs and families as well as the role of official language education as a gateway to multilingualism. 

The CPF - BC & Yukon Branch is the largest in Canada with over 8,100 members.

For more information, please contact:
Glyn Lewis, Executive Director
Canadian Parents for French BC & Yukon
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
778-329-9115 or (Toll free) 1-800-665-1222 ext. 316
Website: www.cpf.bc.ca

Vancouver – As the current school year draws to a close, Canadian Parents for French - BC & Yukon Branch is celebrating a record thirteenth year of growth for French Immersion in British Columbia.

According to data for 2010/2011 provided by the BC Ministry of Education, 44, 848 students in public schools were enrolled in French Immersion programs, an increase of 884 students over the previous year. This 2.01 % increase is similar to growth rates for 2001/02 and 2002/03. French Immersion students now account for 7.7% of the total public school enrolment, a .1% increase over last year.

Numbers Hold in Yukon

Yukon posted a statistically negligible increase in the 2010-2011 school year, with enrolment increasing by three, from 602 to 605 students at Whitehorse Elementary and F.H. Collins Secondary. Numbers at Whitehorse Elementary, however, promise future program growth, and CPF-BC & Yukon is optimistic that French immersion will resume a pattern of expansion noticeable since 2008.

Canadian Parents for French-BC & Yukon is a non-governmental, parent-led organization promoting French-second-language educational and cultural learning opportunities for youth.  With over 8,000 members, the BC & Yukon branch is by far the largest in Canada. 

Student statistics for 2010/2011 are available from the British Columbia Ministry of Education website at http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/reports/pdfs/student_stats/prov.pdf and from Yukon Education at http://www.education.gov.yk.ca/psb/enrolmentrept.html

For more information, please contact:
Robert Rothon
Executive Director
O: 778 329 9115 ext. 316

Attachments:

2010 2011 enrolment figures for FI 2011 JUN 3 FINAL ENG.doc

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82 Kb

Vancouver – Speaking on topics as radically different as the Mayan Apocalypse, the Alberta oil sands and the Canadian flag, 300 students in Grade 6 to 12 presented three-minute speeches in the daylong provincial finals of the 28th annual Concours d’art oratoire (Concours) last Saturday.  The event, organized by Canadian Parents for French – BC & Yukon Branch, is the culmination of classroom, school and district competitions involving thousands of students across British Columbia. An estimated 800 attendees, including student competitors, filled the mezzanine of Simon Fraser University Surrey.

Volunteer judges chose 75 first, second and third place winners in five categories: Early French immersion, Late French immersion, Core French, Francophone  and Intensive French. Prizes awarded included university entrance scholarships, books and medals. Grade 12 winners in four of the five categories  will be invited to the National finals in Ottawa to compete for a $20,000 scholarship to the University of Ottawa. They are: Mark Fleming of SD#39, Mandoline Houriet of SD#44, Alan Chang of SD#39 and Tanya Bagai of SD#37. The complete list of winners is available at http://www.cpf.bc.ca/site3/index.php/events/45-concours-dart-oratoire/1437-2011-concours-winners

Sponsors and supporters of the event include: Canadian Heritage; the BC Ministry of Education; School District #93; Simon Fraser University Surrey; the University of Ottawa; Radio-Canada; the Consulate General of France; Québec Intergovernmental Affairs; the BC Federation of Francophones; the L’Express du Pacifique newspaper; and, for the first time, National Bank/La Banque Nationale, which gave a $1,500 grant to Canadian Parents for French – BC & Yukon Branch.

Canadian Parents for French-BC & Yukon is a non-governmental, parent-led organization promoting French-second-language educational and cultural learning opportunities for youth.  With almost 8,000 members, the BC & Yukon branch is by far the largest in Canada. 

Source: Robert Rothon, Executive Director, CPF - BC & Yukon. 778.329.9115, ext. 316.

Attachments:

2011.05.11.Concours Media release ENG FINAL.doc	[ ]	62 Kb
2011.05.11.Concours Media release winners FRE FINAL.doc	[ ]	61 Kb

Released: May 4, 2011

Vancouver – 300 students will take part in the regional finals of the national French language public speaking contest, Concours, on Saturday May 7 at Simon Fraser University Surrey. Organized by the British Columbia & Yukon Branch of Canadian Parents for French, Concours offers university entrance scholarships, books, medals and other awards. In addition, Grade 12 sectional winners are invited to the National finals in Ottawa to compete for a $20,000 entrance scholarship to the University of Ottawa.

Concours is open to youth from grades six through 12 who are studying in French second language programs (Early and Late French Immersion, Core French and Intensive French) or the French first language program (Francophone), and who have won their school district finals. An estimated 10,000 children in BC take part every year in Concours, and many thousands more across Canada, making it one of the largest public-speaking events of its type in the country.

2011 Concours sponsors, supporters and exhibitors include: Canadian Heritage; the BC Ministry of Education; the University of Ottawa; School District # 93; the Fédération des francophones de la Colombie-Britannique; Radio-Canada British Columbia; Québec Intergovernmental Affairs; the Consulate General of France; and the National Bank.

Canadian Parents for French - BC & Yukon is a non-governmental, parent-led organization promoting French-second-language educational and cultural learning opportunities for youth.

Source: Robert Rothon, Executive Director. Call toll free: 1-800-665-1222 or 778.329.9115, ext. 316.

Attachments:

2011.05.04.Concours Media release ENG FINAL.doc	[ ]	62 Kb
2011.05.04.Concours Media release FRE FINAL.doc	[ ]	61 Kb