Harlem French Language Charter School learning hard lessons
City Education officials have “concerns” about school but also praise
A Harlem charter school specializing in French language and culture is learning a hard lesson about meeting public school standards.
At the New York French American Charter School (NYFACS) on W. 120th St. just off Manhattan Ave. – now kindergarten through third grade – about 70 to 80 precent of the curriculum is exclusively in French.
“We teach children of refugees alongside the kids of United Nations officials and corporate executives,” said parent representative to the school’s board and Harlem resident April Patrick-Rabiu, noting NYFACS has received visits from has received visits from three French senators and Princess Mathilde of Belgium.
But the school has run into trouble with city’s Education Dept.
In a report last May, city school officials praised the school for its “unique culture, diversity and strong parent participation,” but noted several “concerns” including weak leadership from board members, failure to meet state education requirements and a scarcity of books.
The school, which opened in September 2010, will be reevaluated next May.
About 50 percent of the school’s 189 students are from Francophone families, while half are African-American, Hispanic or Caucasian. They travel from as far away as Queens to “keep the tradition of French language and Francophone customs from around the world would alive,” said NYFACS official Vanessa Handal-Ghenania.
In response to the DOE report, the school’s parents and board members replaced the principal – who had only private-school experience – with veteran public school educator, Marie-Jose Bernard, a former city staff developer in bilingual education.
“Because the school is so new, it’s a work in progress and we are finding a balance between French and American school systems,” said Bernard, adding the school’s teaching staff comes from Senegal, the Ivory Coast, Algeria, “and other French-speaking countries.”
Parents also lobbied for a change in board leadership, and got it last Tuesday night when board president Johnny Celestin, a business consultant, resigned and was replaced by Dr. Fabrice Rouah, who has a strong background in education, said Patrick-Rabiu.
NYFACS parents have also been trying to get more books into the classrooms.
Wassila Guiga-Lofti, owner of B2D2 French Books, whose two sons attend the presitigous and private Lycee Francais on the Upper East Side spread the word among Lycee families that NYFACS was in dire need of books and received 200 donations of used French-language children’s books.
“There is large francophone community in NYC, and many would like to send their children to the Lycee, but the tuition at the LFNY is not affordable to all, even though there is financial aid,” said Lofti, “so NYFACS gives a broad range of students a bilingual education and an opportunity to keep a contact with the language and the culture of their parents’ country of origin.”
On Monday Guiga-Lofti dropped by the school with a new contribution of about two dozen books and chatted with teachers and students, including Amalia Dayle, a second grader. The daughter of a Jamaican-born father and Italian-born mother, Amalia speaks French, Italian and German, as well as English.
Asked about how she defines her identify, given her rich family heritage, she quickly replied, “I’m a New Yorker.”
BY Abigail Meisel
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Thursday, December 22 2011, 6:00 AM