Talk:French immersion

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• I think the reference to FI being most popular in the Maritimes and Quebec is a bit misleading. It's technically correct, given the stats, but I don't think provincial stats give the full picture. For example, FI is very popular in parts of Ontario, but much less so in other areas, contributing to a relatively low provincial average. I recall figures from the mid-1990s stating that in suburban Ottawa, FI had effectively become the "regular" program, as enrollment was higher than in the traditional stream. But the situation in Peel Region, for example, would be quite different. Similarly, FI probably has much higher enrollment in West Island Montreal than the Saguenay. Given that some of the regions I've referred to have higher populations than some actual provinces, I've taken the liberty to amend the reference in the article. Skeezix1000 21:00, 10 November 2005 (UTC)

In Ottawa (pop. 860,000 approx.), in the English-language schools, French Immersion is indeed the regular or majority program for anglophone children. In Ottawa, the province-wide test scores for the FI students shows higher marks than for those students in the minority "English" program. (I would have to check the stats on this.) By the time the students have reached senior public school (grades 7 and 8), they can communicate well in French with a remarkably good accent, while their English reading and writing proficiency is good too. The FI program is a huge success, and students graduating with their "bilingual certificate" have many more employment options open to them, in the federal public service and elsewhere. The clever students seek out employment and travel experiences that provide opportunities to build-on their French-language training. Que-Can 17:28, 5 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Controversy

The "controversy" section is so poorly written and expressed, as well as unsourced, that I've moved it to the talk page until it can be straightened out:

Controversy has risen in parents of Canada for the reason that their child cannot get a job/career in Ontario. Though this is incorrect, there are jobs that require french and english. This brought up problems for the anglophones and francophones as they have to learn another language. People thought learning a new language would be an asset, while others have considered it a priorty.

This seems to be expressing (somewhat awkwardly) the sentiment, which does exist, that the original plan of offering French language proficiency as an added asset to a generation of Ontario anglophones has now led to a situation where fluent bilingualism has become a prerequisite for any sort of job in the provincial or federal public service.

If adequately sourced, which should not be difficult, this is an important addition to the article. --Saforrest 04:34, 2 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] En français?

Just a thought: perhaps someone would like to translate this article into French for the French wikipedia? :) --Saforrest 04:37, 2 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Milton, Massachusetts

Milton, Massachusetts offers a French Immersion program in the four public elementary schools. The following is from the Milton Public Schools' website:

"A French Immersion Program began in the Milton Public School System at the Mary A. Cunningham Elementary School in 1987 with two classes in grade one. Each year, a new grade with two or three classes was added at the Cunningham School. In 1991, a first grade class began at the Glover Elementary School. In 1992, a first grade class was added to both the Tucker and the Collicot. Since 1992, all four elementary schools have added at least one class per grade level each year and the program has expanded into the middle school and the high school. " --Marymgm 13:32, 16 March 2007 (UTC)