Joseph Dicks University of New Brunswick

In July 2007 the New Brunswick Department of Education commissioned a review of French second language programming in New Brunswick.  The Minister of Education, Kelly Lamrock, appointed two commissioners, James Croll and Patricia Lee, neither of whom is an expert in the area of second language education.

On February 27, 2008 the Commissioners released their report.   To the disbelief of informed readers, the report presented a totally one-sided view of Early French Immersion (EFI) programming in New Brunswick.  The views of second language experts, and other key informants such as the Commissioner of Official Languages, who spoke about the benefits of EFI as well as the problems that need to be addressed, were not included in the report.   Years of research on EFI demonstrating its effectiveness with regard to French proficiency and overall literacy were also ignored.

Subsequent analyses of the Croll-Lee report by professors from the Math and Statistics Department at UNB Fredericton, as well as other professors at UNB, Mount Allison, and Université de Moncton, clearly demonstrated that there were serious errors in the way statistical data were presented.  Major conclusions about the relative value of late immersion over early immersion were based on analyses that were improperly reported.