Photo by Alvin Connor Jr. from MPS
Milwaukee French Immersion School students
Students at Milwaukee French Immersion School
Dawn Balistreri was fresh out of UW-Madison in 1991 when Milwaukee Public Schools made her an offer she couldn’t turn down. “What attracted them to my resume was my French language skills. When they told me about the French Immersion School, I had no idea there was a school like that in Milwaukee!” she recalled.
This year marks the 45th anniversary of one of MPS’ signal success stories. The French Immersion School (2360 N. 52nd St.) is an ambitious K-5 program for instructing children in French. It was preceded by the German Immersion School; a Spanish Immersion School was added a few years later. Graduates of those schools who wish to continue in bi-lingual education can move on to MPS’ School of Languages for middle and high school instruction.
Milwaukee’s French Immersion School remains one of the only public schools of its kind in the U.S. It was established in response to the lawsuit by Lloyd Barbee challenging MPS for deliberately segregating schools by race. In 1976 U.S. District Judge John Reynolds ruled in Barbee’s favor and ordered MPS to respond with a plan to desegregate. “Magnet schools,” as they were called at the time, were devised as one solution. The French Immersion School was one of them.
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Tom Mueller picketed MPS central office in support of desegregation in the ‘70s. He later became cochair of the French School’s PTA and sent his children there. His grandson currently attends the French Immersion School. “They did it the right way,” Mueller said, citing MPS’ Tony Cradzinik and Helena Anderson Curtain for their formative roles in the language immersion programs. “The schools work academically in terms of learning and elan. They are very integrated in a way that’s seamless,” he continued. The atmosphere at French Immersion is not elitist but engaged and has promoted multigenerational ties. Mueller’s grandson is being taught by an instructor who graduated from the school a generation earlier. “People who come through the program are really bonded,” he added.
The “magnet school” definition has been dropped but the educational mission remains. French Immersion’s Principal Jenna Harer said that the school is one of several “citywide public schools with a specialty program.” According to her, enrollment at French Immersion for the 2022-23 school year totaled around 450 with a student body comprised of 60% African American, 30% white and 10% Asian, Latino and other children.
Harer is in her second year as principal. She began her teaching career with MPS, became an assistant principal in the Waukesha school system and returned to Milwaukee to helm French Immersion. “I wanted to be at a school that valued diversity and equity,” she explained.
Why Learn in French?
Why do parents opt to send their children to her school? “There are lots of different drivers,” she answered. “For some, it’s location. We have many students from the 53210 and 53212 zip codes. Many want their children to have that language experience. And French can be important for careers in business or internationally—it’s the second-most learned second language [after English] in the world.”
The flags displayed in the school’s central hallway illustrate her point. The French red, white and blue tricolor hangs alongside the Belgian black, yellow and red and the flags of African and Asian nations such as Senegal and Cambodia. The school’s faculty includes Algerian, Tunisian, Congolese and Senegalese instructors. “They add tremendous value,” Balistreri said. “The native speakers bring that cultural piece—not only for students but for staff, adding a layer of authenticity.”
The educational benefits of the French Immersion program are validated by high test scores and high marks on the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s Report Card for Public Schools. “The opportunity to learn a second language at an early age is giving your child a gift,” Balistreri continued, “by exposing them at an early age when they can readily absorb new information.”
Harer has enrolled her daughter in the school and echoed Balistreri’s thought about the program’s value. “It’s magical—a gift we can give our kids.” The school is open to any child in the MPS district. Suburban parents can apply through a lottery. Parental involvement in the program remains strong. “The PTA does events, including a Mardi Gras party for the kids,” Harer said. “Several parents run small reading groups and a book club. Parents volunteered with lunch supervision for a week when we had a COVID outbreak among the staff.”
The French Immersion School teaches more than a second language. “What I’ve seen from kids in bi-lingual programs is increased vocabulary and ability to interpret, and more empathy and understanding—better acceptance through understanding different cultures, greater tolerance,” Harer continued.
And yet, despite 45 years of success, many Milwaukeeans are still surprised to learn of the French Immersion School’s existence. “We’re under publicized,” Balistreri said. “We are a hidden gem, not hidden on purpose but not publicized as much as we could be.”
The French Immersion School will celebrate its 45th anniversary with on the school’s grounds, 5-7:30 p.m. on June 2. The festival is open to the public (children must be accompanied by adults) and will include food trucks, entertainment and a bouncy house and games for children.
