Francesco L. Fratto

Director of World Languages & English as a Second Language

Half Hollow Hills CSD

October 04, 2011

Advocacy 101: The Future of Language Teaching

Stony Brook University

Center for Italian Studies

Interesting Facts…..

United Kingdom: 71% (1997) / 44% (2008) - “National Crisis” - Agenda to

increase enrollment

200 Million Chinese Schoolchildren studied English (2008)

60,000 U.S. Students studied Chinese (‘07-’08)

U.S. lacks a national action plan

Statistics

2004-2005 8,638,990* 47,983,788 18.00%

2007-2008 8,907,201** 48,112,069 18.51%

Year FL Enrollment Overall Enrollment Percentage

Foreign Language Enrollments in K-12 Public Schools: Are Students Prepared for a Global Society? (2010). Alexandria VA: American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.

24states did not provide data

** 17 states did not provide data

Enrollment data for those states that did not provide data was estimated

New York State

French 123,392 116,236

Spanish 507,480 559,432

Chinese 3,760 6,919

ASL* 41,579 66,887

Italian* 65,058 78,273 * National Data

Language 2004-2005 2007-2008

Do you know the enrollment numbers in your department?

AD·VO·CA·CY / NOUN

: the act or process of supporting a cause or proposal : the act or

process of advocating something

TO MAKE YOU THINK…

Situation # 1: The Italian program will be phased out and eventually eliminated. You are at a Board of Education Meeting to defend your program.

Situation # 2: Your students participated in a contest and won, now what?!

Situation # 3: A member of the media asks you as question. Are you prepared to answer it?

Your response(s)

Colleagues’ responses

Your response(s)

Colleagues’ responses

INDEX CARD

Question # 1 Question # 2

Question # 3

Your response(s)

Colleagues’ responses

Question # 4

Your response(s)

Colleagues’ responses

WHAT ARE YOU ADVOCATING?

Question # 1

WHY DO YOU BELIEVE IT IS IMPORTANT TO DO SO?

Question # 2

WHO ARE YOU TRYING TO REACH?

Question # 3

HOW DO YOU INTEND TO REACH YOUR AUDIENCE?

Question # 4

Question # 4 is the toughest! Find out the following!

District Website – who controls it?

Newsletter(s)–Building? District? who accepts articles?

Media – Know your district’s protocols when reaching out to the press!

Best ways to reach parents? eBoard? Website?

Are you a member of several language associations? If not, how do I join?

How do you advocate on a daily basis? Raison d’etre

Professionalism

Words

Handouts / materials

Can you add to the list?

Half Hollow Hills’ Department of World Languages

Let’s take a tour…………………….

FLACS: Excellence in Advocacy

Let’s visit FLACS

Elimination of SLP and Regents

How did FLACS respond? Did we go it alone?

Where does its power come from?

How can you help? Item writing…..

Will you be an advocate for the Italian Language & Culture?

If so, how?

Now, can you answer these questions?

Situation # 1: The Italian program will be phased out and eventually eliminated. You are at a Board of Education Meeting to defend your program.

Situation # 2: Your students participated in a contest and won, now what?!

Situation # 3: A member of the media asks you as question. Are you prepared to answer it?

Grazie!