Louisiana's CODOFIL Program Revitalizes French Language and Culture Through Immersion Education
The Council for the Development of French in Louisiana (CODOFIL) is actively working to preserve and expand the use of the French language in Louisiana schools through immersion programs. Founded in 1968, CODOFIL partners with the state education department to recruit native French-speaking teachers from various francophone countries, including France, Canada, Belgium, Senegal, and Morocco. These educators teach core subjects in French, starting as early as kindergarten. Vanessa Lee, a first-grade teacher from France, highlights that students in her immersion class learn English for a few hours in the morning with an American colleague, then spend the rest of the school day, from 10 AM to 3:15 PM, speaking exclusively French. This intensive approach aims to fully immerse students in the language and culture, helping to reverse the decline in Cajun French speakers in the state.