ABSTRACT
Long before the developments in research that focus on and promote Heritage Languages (HLs), HL learning took place in communities throughout the United States in multiple formal and informal settings. HL education was usually sponsored and sustained by immigrant and expatriate communities, and sometimes extended into the public and private school systems in the form of bilingual, dual language, or immersion programs. The success of the partnership and program shows that far from being a liability, HLs can be a serious asset for new immigrants and the United States school system at large. Similarly, French HL speakers in the United States experienced ebbs and flows in governmental support for language maintenance, both from France and from local American governments. The French Heritage Language Program has been integral to helping our Francophone students not only maintain their native languages, but also to further develop their language as they work on long-term projects directly tied to their lives in the United States.
