ITALIAN LANGUAGE IN THE UNITED STATES
ADOPTING SCHOOLS
Practical suggestions By "adoption" is intended the contribution made to a school to promote the teaching of Italian, whether in the form of financial resources or the commitment of personal time, depending on one’s resources.
The primary element of the contribution must be the close collaboration between the benefactor and the school’s Italian teacher as the person most aware of the school’s characteristics and needs.
From this perspective, it is the Italian teacher who directs and coordinates the adoption.
Naturally, all initiatives require previous authorization from the school principal who must be introduced to the benefactor.
Therefore, the first step in initiating a collaboration of this kind is to request a meeting with the Italian teacher. The objectives of the meeting are the following: Identify the number of students and class at the school; Inform the school’s academic community; Identify priority needs; Determine the commitment to be undertaken.
Below are sample scenarios where adoption would be extremely valuable.
SCENARIO I Needs Assessed The Italian program needs materials.
The texts used by the school are unsuitable or out of date.
Possible action(s) required Purchase of student textbooks
Purchase of books for the school library to be added to the library’s current collection Purchase of Italian music on CD
Purchase of Italian/English bilingual dictionaries
Purchase of political and geographic maps of Italy for the Italian language classroom.
The teacher will prepare a list of the materials needed. It is then up to the benefactor to decide whether to purchase these directly or have the school do so.
SCENARIO II Needs AssessedThe school organizes an "international" event for the parents and all the school’s foreign language programs prepare booths or stands where brochures, posters, and the like will be distributed and samples of the country’s typical cuisine are offered.
Possible action(s) requiredItalian must be present with its own booth or stand, which must be prepared and manned throughout the duration of the event.
Offer to help out by providing basic information on Italian culture.
SCENARIO IIINeeds Assessed During the 2005/6 academic year students are given the possibility of enrolling in APP courses in Italian.
Registration and testing costs are borne by the students.
Possible action(s) required Once a student has passed the APP admissions test, the benefactor could provide a grant to the student.
SCENARIO IV
Needs Assessed
To encourage the study of Italian, high school students could be offered internships with organizations where the Italian language is used or where there is clear contact with Italian culture.
Possible action(s) required
Identify such organizations in the proximity of the school and undertake contacts in order to define the terms of the internship.
SCENARIO V Needs Assessed
A school decides to establish a cultural exchange or sister school program with an Italian school.
The most effective way of containing costs is to host students coming from Italy with families that are part of the school’s community.
Possible action(s) required Give the initiative as much publicity as possible in order to help the Italian teacher identify suitable families.
SCENARIO VI
Needs Assessed To motivate qualified students (identified by the teacher using objective criteria such as Grade Point Average), different types of scholarships could be offered, which would be awarded during official academic functions.
Possible action(s) required Fund a short-term experience in Italy under the framework of organizations specifically operating for this purpose.
Provide tickets to concerts, cultural events, or sports events.
Enable participation in events celebrating Italian culture.
Provide certificates for gifts to be given by organizations.
SCENARIO VII
Needs Assessed Foreign language teaching is always at risk of cuts in its resources and spaces.
One way to ensure that programs remain effective is to involve the parents in the continuing process, beginning at the elementary schools and then through the middle schools all the way to the high schools.
Possible action(s) required
Sensitize the parents, ask them to participate in Parent Teachers Association (PTA) meetings and other similar occasions. (The Italian teachers will identify those times when benefactor participation is essential.)
Attend County School Board meetings to demonstrate continuing interest in Italian being taught in the local schools.
Contact local officials to sensitize them on the importance of foreign language teaching, especially Italian.
SCENARIO VIII
Needs Assessed
Italian teachers need support.
During the course of the school year conferences are held to present and promote foreign language teaching in the United States.
There are national and regional conferences, such as the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) and the Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (NECTFL), respectively.
Although participants must pay for their own registration fees, travel, and lodging costs, attending these events is extremely important as an opportunity for professional exchange and ongoing training.
Possible action(s) required Sponsor a participant teacher by funding their registration, travel or lodging expenses.
SCENARIO IX
Needs Assessed The Italian courses need support as it may occur that Us funds get diverted to empower different languages.
Possible action(s) required Provide to the school matching funds that can assist the program
Washington DC, February 6, 2004
If you can suggest other ideas, which you put successfully into practice in your school community, please let us know!!!
We will acknowledge the source of information.
Embassy of Italy
Education Office
3000 Whitehaven Street, NW
Washington, DC. 20008
tel. (202) 612-4491
Fax: (202) 518 2149
email:
scuola.washington@esteri.it