A Language Equity Model: The Francophone Heritage Program Initiative

The French Heritage Language Program (FHLP) currently serves New York City’s 7 international public
high schools as well as a number of public schools and communities in Boston, Miami, Philadelphia, and
Maine. The goal of the program is to provide needed support to young Francophone students, coming
from Africa and the Caribbean, who have recently arrived in the United States.
Agnes Ndiaye-Tounkara*, program director of the FHLP, will address the situation of these young
immigrants and share examples of the importance of language in the development of their identity as
well as how it is an asset to their educational success. The FHLP also directly contributes to college
readiness—usually a closed door for most of this underserved population; the program offers
preparation for exams and outreach programs, like the LafPAL* initiative, where Lafayette students
mentor the NYC PAL’s on college readiness and help them tell their story***.