Here is an article that will be published soon in a K.C. Parent Magazine:
To further explore the range of local bilingual programs, I visited Academie Lafayette, a K-8 French Immersion Charter school in the Kansas City School District. Once again, I was struck by the complete absence of English. I listened to a 5th grade science class discussing “effervescence” at great length, and I was put on the spot when some curious Kindergarteners asked me if I was there to “lire un livre.” I also happened upon the changing of rooms between periods, which has evolved into a ritual of students marching past each other singing French songs at the top of their lungs. That was a powerful sound.
French in the building, from the very first day of Kindergarten, is actually the rule at the Academie, and the teachers strictly adhere to it. And it’s not just language: My afternoon there left me with the sense of having traveled back through time to my days as an exchange student in Rouen,France. You cannot separate culture from language. Eric Roskam, vice principal at Academie Lafayette, says Francophone culture is what binds together the diverse teaching staff hailing from places like Senegal, Canada, France, and Switzerland, and gives the school its identity.
However, as Mr. Roskam is quick to point out, French is not the only goal; it is a tool to develop critical thinkers and engaged learners. Contrary to my expectation, the vast majority of the 480 students at Academie Lafayette come from English-only households. Are they successful? The numbers suggest it. Academie Lafayette was the top performing Missouri charter school in 2008 and came within the top ten statewide in nearly all MAP tests.
Mr. Roskam attributes his students’ academic success to their increased focus: “If you had to learn how to prepare goulash from a Russian-speaking chef, you’d be paying extra attention; it’s the same for our students,” says Roskam. “It’s a challenge, and that’s why we start so early.”
