The State of French-Second-Language in Canada 2000

What is The State of French-Second-Language Education in Canada 2000?

A quality FSL education for Canadian children is threatened from many angles. Concerns range from inadequate classroom materials to absent remedial resources, from a scarcity of qualified teachers to students dropping the programs in their high school years.

Securing quality FSL programs will require considerable effort over many years. This report is the first step toward acquiring and disseminating empirical evidence about the state of FSL education in Canada.

The State of FSL report will help all stakeholders in FSL education understand what makes programs succeed, where improvements are needed, and how to make changes today. It will also create a yardstick to measure progress in delivering FSL education.

Our goal is to put quality FSL education for Canadian children back on the public agenda.

How was the report created?

The report is based on extensive research and broad consultation. Criteria for successful programs were developed based on research done to date in the field. These criteria were validated by FSL experts and through discussions with stakeholders. Materials and data were then gathered and analysed according to the criteria. A survey collected the opinions of all those interested in and involved with FSL programs across Canada.

What's in the report?

National and provincial findings are broken down into areas of strength and areas for action, and recommendations are made. Stories about innovative FSL programs highlight its potential for further success. Opinion pieces spotlight individual outlooks on aspects of FSL. Previous research findings are shown to shed light on the report. An extensive bibliography follows. An appendix of tables details enrolment figures and trends and summarizes the report's findings. The sum result points the way to strengthening structures and support for FSL.

The focus of the first report will be on establishing national and provincial criteria to use in assessing the state of FSL education. In the future, the development of criteria at the more local levels will allow us to develop a self-assessment tool for schools and school districts.

Who's involved?

The chief researcher for the report is Dr. Nancy Halsall, President of Halsall Measurement and analysis. Dr. Halsall has a background in educational measurement and evaluation and extensive experience in FSL-related organizational issues. She has previously conducted program and literature reviews on French immersion and core French.

A CPF advisory committee of Branch Executive Directors and Presidents, along with the national Board of Directors, assisted with data collection in their regions. A large consultative committee of individuals knowledgeable in the field provided input to for the report. Drawn from that committee was the smaller working group, composed of individuals who shared their expertise on FSL during the research and development of the report.

Members of the Working Group

Ms. Pat Brehaut, Past President, CPF

Mr. Paul Caron, retired FSL coordinator and teacher of high school FSL

Dr. Sharon Lapkin, Professor, Modern Language Centre, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto

Ms. Joan Netten, Vice-President, CPF and Research Professor (Hon.), Faculty of Education, Memorial University

Dr. André Obadia, Professor, Faculty of Education, Simon Fraser University

Dr. Sally Rehorick, Director, Second Language Education Centre, Faculty of Education, University of New Brunswick

Dr. Miles Turnbull, Assistant Professor,Modern Language Centre, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE),University of Toronto

Where can I find the report?

The report, produced in both English and French, is available in hard copy from the CPF National office or from the CPF Branch office in your province or territory or a PDF version of the report is available below:

The State of French-Second-Language in Canada 2000

Full English version of the report.
Full French version of the report.

Executive Summary and Recommendations

Chapter 2: National Findings

Provincial and Territorial Findings

• The State of FSL in Alberta
  
• The State of FSL in British Columbia
  
• The State of FSL in Manitoba
  
• The State of FSL in New Brunswick
  
• The State of FSL in Newfoundland and Labrador
  
• The State of FSL in Northwest Territories
  
• The State of FSL in Nova Scotia
  
• The State of FSL in Nunavut
  
• The State of FSL in Ontario
  
• The State of FSL in Prince Edward Island
  
• The State of FSL in Quebec
  
• The State of FSL in Saskatchewan
  
• The State of FSL in Yukon Territory

Bibliography

Please note that the report is provided in Adobe Acrobat Reader format. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat, it can be downloaded free of charge from Adobe: