Inside a small school up on stilts, two girls sit at a table covered with flash cards. When asked, the second-graders introduce themselves in French. “Je m’appelle Juliet,” says the one with baby ...

Most Louisianans no longer speak French but more and more schools in the state are teaching it. One small school, southwest of New Orleans, is immersing students in the state's local dialects.

In a recent push by the French department to make its offerings less daunting to students, the department has attempted to reduce the workload demands of some of its courses. This semester, many ...