PROMOTION OF ITALIAN LANGUAGE AND CULTURE IN AMERICAN SCHOOLS: STRATEGIC PLAN FOR 2017

On Saturday, December 10, I attended a workshop at the Embassy of Italy on the Italian Government’s goals to increase the number of students taking Italian language in American schools, and to enhance the quality of Italian language teachers in the U.S. school system. The Saturday workshop, led by Catherine Flumiani, First Counselor, Embassy of Italy, and Maria Fusco, Director of Education, Embassy of Italy, focused on strategies and ideas for promoting Italian language and culture in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia public and private school systems. The Embassy is looking for help and ideas from professors of Italian language in these school systems (at elementary, middle, high school and universities), as well as the Italian American community in the DC area, to achieve their goals.

Before the workshop started, the group was apprised of some recent statistics: there are 592 students in public and private schools in DC, MD and VA who are taking Italian language, in 3 elementary schools, 12 middle schools, and 21 high schools; and there are 128 students enrolled at Casa Italiana. In 2016, 2,554 AP Italian language exams were taken in the U.S., up 8% from the previous year (statistics that are better than students who took the AP language exams in French and German). Italy ranks 2nd, behind the United Kingdom, for college students studying abroad (more than 3,300 students chose to do their semesters abroad in Italy).

The Embassy’s 2017 strategic plan, to promote Italian language and culture in American schools, is reprinted, below:

GOALS:

1.Increase the quantity and quality of Italian courses in public and private schools in the United States.

2.Maintain a positive growth trend in AP Italian exams.

3.Continue to promote increasingly higher scores in AP Italian exams taken by students.

4.Promote a connection between the passing of the AP exam and the choice of a university course (Major or Minor) in Italian.

STRATEGIES: Local schools and authorities

a)Negotiate or renew memoranda of understanding and agreements with individual states or counties. b)Increase the number of middle schools that teach Italian, which are “feeders” to high schools.

c)Activate Italian dual-language programs and enhance existing ones.

d)Promote the teaching of Italian language, starting in kindergarten, by relying on those schools that use Italian pedagogical methods (e.g., Montessori and Reggio Emilia).

e)Create targeted handbooks for school Principals, Superintendents, and Counselors, all of whom are key players in the American school system.

f)Assign scholarships or prizes (including a possible travel prize to Italy) to the most deserving teachers or to those who contribute effectively to the creation of Italian courses.

g)Encourage the passing of AP Italian exams already in 11th grade and the participation of “pre-AP” courses, already available in some schools.

h)Develop training and refresher modules for teachers

Work as one: increase cooperation and integration

i)Relaunch the role of Language Observers at both the local and national levels.

j)Involve Italian American associations and representatives of the community (e.g., COMITES, the Center for Global Integrated Education, elected representatives), both in planning and fundraising activities.

k)Prepare an operational schedule for local observers indicating initiatives, actors, and the timetable for intended actions (what, who, and when).

l)Involve interested parties of the Italian language system already present in the U.S. for promotion and fundraising activities.

Communication and outreach m)

Increase information that is available via the website www.USspeaksitalian.org. n)Organize an event on an annual basis (e.g., Italian Language Day), to be held throughout the consular network and schools, to include fundraising activities.

o)Publicize the benefits of speaking Italian through media, including social media, by involving Italian or Italian American celebrity spokespersons/people who are popular with the younger generation.

p)Raise awareness among Spanish speakers of studying Italian language and culture. Attending the workshop were Joe Lupo, Director of the Casa Italiana Language School; Francesca Casazza, Director of the Italian Language Program at the Italian Cultural Society; teachers and professors of Italian at the elementary, middle, and university levels; and representatives of COMITES DC; Italians in DC; the Lido Civic Club; the National Organization of Italian American Women; the Nativity Italian Heritage Society of Burke, VA; and myself, on behalf of AMHS.

The group plans to meet again in May 2017; the Embassy is open to suggestions on its Strategic Plan. If any Society member would be interested in working on this initiative, please email me directly, president@abruzzomoliseheritagesociety.org (especially any members who are teachers of Italian language). I can forward your names to Ms. Flumiani at the Embassy.