Agreement with France will Promote Educational Opportunities for Students K-12

The memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the state of Kansas and the Académie d’Orléans-Tours (the French equivalent to the Department of Education) will create new opportunities to advance the learning of English in France and of French in Kansas for teachers and students in grade K-12. These new programs may include projects between schools, student exchanges and apprenticeships, and teacher exchanges and professional development.

Mike Flenthrope represented the world language teachers of Kansas at the signing. He is the president of Kansas World Language Association and the Shawnee Mission School District specialist for world languages and English Language Learners.

“This document will open up a lot of opportunities for collaboration both physical and virtual and inside and outside of the classroom,” Flenthrope said. “I am very excited for the opportunities that it will bring for our students and teachers.”

The Académie d’Orléans-Tours is France’s regional education agency and is in charge of the educational initiatives in the area southwest of Paris, with Orléans and Tours being the two major cities. The MOU had been in the making for more than three years and had stemmed from the relations between the sister cities of Wichita and Orléans which had been collaborating officially since 1974 and unofficially since 1994.

This agreement was signed by Kansas Education Commissioner Dr. Diane DeBacker and Recteur of the  Académie d’Orléans-Tours Marie Reynier last Friday via video conference. In addition to the signing, representatives from Académie d’Orléans-Tour, Sylvie Raguer and Emmanuelle Martin, visited schools from around the Kansas City area including French teacher Laure Losey’s class last Thursday.

“I think this is important for the community, not only the east community, to know what is going on because it’s going to give [students] the opportunity to go study in France,” Losey said. “Here, in this part of the district, I think there is a lot more interest and financial possibilities to do this kind of stuff, and I’m hoping that maybe eventually that they may have scholarships. I just think its a great opportunity.”