A group of second graders at the French School, a local language-immersion charter school, recently fought for the right to use school lockers – and won.
Speaking in French, the students presented their arguments to Head of School Conrad Wildsmith.
Leading an issue-oriented campaign was part of their class curriculum, but the second graders took it a step further to fundraise for the cost to pay for new locker keys – an expense that kept the school from allowing students to use the lockers previously, said Rhonda Broussard, president and founder of the St. Louis Language Immersion Schools.
The second graders’ campaign is one example of what sets the immersion schools’ curriculum apart from other schools, she said.
“Students are expected to be actors,” she said. “They are expected to recognize needs and take actions – not wait for someone else to do it for them.”
In December, Broussard learned that its French School and Spanish School have joined the ranks of 1,100 elementary schools worldwide, 400 in the U.S., and only three others in Missouri to offer the International Baccalaureate Organization’s Primary Years Programme (PYP) curriculum.
The authorization to offer the PYP curriculum is something the schools have been working towards for the past five years, she said. The PYP curriculum is focused on creating action-oriented leaders through inquiry-based learning, she said. Although St. Louis Language Immersion Schools has been geared in this direction since the beginning, the authorization means more professional development for teachers and hence stronger, more innovative classrooms.
Broussard founded the St. Louis Language Immersion Schools (SLLIS) in 2009, starting with the French and Spanish schools. In 2012, SLLIS opened the Chinese School. And now the International School, a secondary campus, will open with sixth grade in August.
Its charter from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is overseen by the University of Missouri – St. Louis.
In total, SLLIS has 865 students in three schools, and all are enrolled at capacity this year. The highest in demand is the Spanish School with 380 students.
St. Louis is among few cities that are offering this curriculum and language immersion in public schools – especially with their student demographic, she said.
“When you look nationwide, there are opportunities in private schools with private-school price tags,” she said. “And you are used to thinking of larger cities that are serving large minority populations. To do this with regular English-speaking kids, that really sets us apart.”
Minorities in language immersion
About 57 percent of the schools’ students are African-American and almost 10 percent Hispanic, according to data from DESE.
SLLIS’ achievement gap among minorities mirrors that of many other charter and public schools. African-American students are trailing their white counterparts considerably in both math and English language arts.
At the French School in 2013, only 9 percent of black third graders tested “proficient or advanced” in English and 41 percent scored “below basic” – compared to 69 percent of white third graders testing “proficient or advanced” and zero scoring “below basic.”
At the Spanish School in 2013, black third graders fared a little better with 14.3 percent scoring “proficient” in English and 20 percent “below basic.”
SLLIS’ African-American third graders scored below those attending the St. Louis Public Schools in 2013. At SLPS, 19 percent of black third graders scored “proficient or advanced” and 30 percent “below basic.” About 45 percent of white SLPS third graders scored “proficient or advanced” in English.
Overall the SLLIS’ state test scores showed some improvement from last year, with 31 percent of the district’s student population scoring “proficient or advanced” in English – a six percent jump from 2012. However, the schools dropped eight percent in math, with 25.8 percent scoring proficient or advanced.
Paying homage
Broussard said the three schools – French, Spanish and Chinese – represent Missouri’s top three trade partners: Canada (where French is one of two national languages), Mexico and China.
Broussard decided to start with the French and Spanish schools partly to “pay homage to our city’s founders,” she said.
An African American from Lafayette, Louisiana, Broussard first came to St. Louis to study at Washington University, where she majored in French and secondary education. She also holds a master’s degree in French studies from New York University.
Broussard said SLLIS has impacted public education by giving families the opportunity to truly understand global expectations – not just the demand for speaking multiple languages but also the demand for action-minded leaders.
“Oftentimes when teachers go through teacher education training, they are not taught how to create inquiry in their classrooms,” she said. “In traditional settings, many teachers feel offended when students ask, ‘Why are we learning this?’ In our community, we expect students to ask questions.”
She said the PYP authorization is a testament to the schools’ teamwork since 2009.
Broussard said she applauds the schools’ parents, board of directors and sponsors – but especially those working hard in the classrooms. She said, “I’m really proud of our students and teachers because they are the creative minds that make this work.”
