Teach French Immersion in Louisiana
Escadrille Louisiane is a program financed by La Fondation Louisiane that offers financial and technical assistance for Louisianans who want to teach in a French immersion school in the state. Program participants can choose from four different pathways, which include obtaining a masters degree, enhancing current teaching certifications, or becoming a certified elementary teacher.
Did you know that Escadrille is a French word? Learn more below.
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Escadrille Louisiane Graduates
Schools with an EL Graduate
Escadrille Louisiane Pathways
There are four different ways to participate in Escadrille Louisiane, each with its own specific set of guidelines, requirements, and timelines. For more information, consult each page below.
Obtain a master of arts in teaching degree and spend a year living in France.
Obtain a master of arts in teaching degree at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Obtain a certificate to teach French in Louisiana.
Transition your teaching career to teach French in immersion in Louisiana.
Escadrille Louisiane
Escadrille is the French word for squadron, a military term. The First World War broke out in Europe in 1914, but it would not be until three years later, in 1917, that America would enter the conflict. During that three-year period, American aviators journeyed to Europe at their own expense and volunteered to fight for France. Eventually, more than 200 were commissioned as fighter pilots in the French Air Corps. To honor the great French hero of the American Revolution, the Marquis de Lafayette, the American flyers were mustered into a squadron called the Escadrille Lafayette. The members of the squadron shot down hundreds of German aircraft; 69 of their number died in battle over the skies of Europe. In 1928, France dedicated a magnificent memorial just outside of Paris to honor these fallen heroes. To this day, France continues to hold fast to this legacy, for the Escadrille Lafayette is a functioning squadron in the modern French Air Force.
In 2010, the Louisiana legislature passed legislation giving the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana (CODOFIL) additional responsibilities to promote and increase the teaching of French in the schools of our state. But where would Louisiana find among its young citizens the teachers to fulfill this mandate? In early 2011, CODOFIL, working through France’s consulate in New Orleans and its embassy in Washington, approached the government of France with a proposal. In 1914, France received around 200 brave Americans to fight for freedom; would France, in the 21st Century, agree to receive 200 young Louisianans over the next decade and help train them to become teachers of French in Louisiana? France’s response was enthusiastic, a partnership between Louisiana and France was formed, and the Escadrille Louisiane program was born.
La Fondation Louisiane
La Fondation Louisiane garners financial resources for the support of Louisiana’s French language, culture and heritage through varied programs, including scholarships, student exchange, immersion centers, international relations, and events, as well as those sponsored by CODOFIL (The Council for the Development of French in Louisiana).
While it sometimes underwrites literary, musical, linguistic, and cultural efforts in French, La Fondation Louisiane’s primary focus is to sponsor competitive scholarships for highly motivated Louisiana high school and college students for study in Francophone countries. La Fondation Louisiane is recognized by the IRS as a tax exempt 501(c)(3) organization and contributions made to it are tax deductible to the extent provided by law.