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Regular Session, 2014
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON NO. 207
BY REPRESENTATIVE CHAMPAGNE
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON
To urge and request the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana to study and
explore French immersion program options for children of military personnel in
Louisiana.
WHEREAS, the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana (CODOFIL)
was created by the legislature in 1968 to promote, support, and enhance French language
immersion educational programs and instruction at all levels of elementary and secondary
education in the state; and
WHEREAS, the law further requires the council to develop a model French
immersion program which can be used by any school seeking to establish a French
immersion program within its curriculum and to increase the number of French immersion
schools in the state; and
WHEREAS, as stated in current law, R.S. 17:273.3, the legislature has found that:
(1)Research indicates that students who participate in foreign language
immersion programs, particularly French, demonstrate greater levels of proficiency in the
English language, higher overall academic achievement, and higher levels of self-esteem.
(2)Learning a second language has a positive effect on intellectual growth and
increased awareness of diverse cultures through access to history, art, and literature.
(3)Students in foreign language immersion programs have been shown to
demonstrate enhanced cognitive functions in solving complex problems and mathematical
computations through the development of more divergent and higher order thinking skills.
(4)In Louisiana, French language development and French language immersion
programs, in particular, provide a better understanding of the state's social traditions and
serve to promote, preserve, and develop our unique bilingual culture; and ENROLLEDHCR NO. 207
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WHEREAS, CODOFIL has been contacted by many United States military bases in
Louisiana which have expressed their interest in having the council explore the concept of
having French immersion programs or schools available for the children of the servicemen
and women stationed therein.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
urge and request the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana to study and
explore French immersion program options for children of military personnel in Louisiana.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that CODOFIL is hereby urged and requested to
study and explore such options in an efficient and expeditious manner, to the extent possible,
in order to address the concerns of the military bases on this important educational initiative.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in fulfillment of this Resolution, CODOFIL is
hereby urged and requested to collaborate with local public school systems in which the
military bases are located.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
president of the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATI VES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE