The Government of Italy has authorized the allocation of US$500,000.00 in support of maintaining the Advanced Placement Program in Italian Language and Culture. It was made possible through the direct efforts in Italy by the Prime Minister’s Office and by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the support of the Embassy of Italy in Washington. Major Italian American organizations also lent significant support to the effort.
The decision confirms the priority assigned by the Government of Italy to the Advanced Placement program of the American College Board , which has been identified as indispensable to the diffusion of appropriate level Italian language courses in U.S. schools. In fact, for a foreign language, being included among the 35 AP subjects, it is a factor of continuity, diligence, and coherence in curricula from preschool to university. Inclusion in the AP is incentivizing to prospective students and to the high schools themselves.
The Embassy of Italy is strongly appreciative for and commends the commitment undertaken by the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations * through the creation of an ad hoc committee tasked with supporting the Government’s action through both raising additional funds and a campaign aimed at gathering a critical mass of students to enroll in the program.
In view of the program’s reinstatement, direct contacts at the highest level between the Embassy of Italy in partnership with the Conference of Presidents and the College Board have already been activated and will continue in the coming weeks.
List of the members Organizations Members of the Conference Presidents of major Italian American Organizations:
-American Italian Historical Association
-American Committee on Italian Migration
-American Italian Defense Assn.
-American Justinian Society of Jurists
-American Society of the Italian Legions of Merit
-Arba Sicula
-John D. Calandra Italian American Institute/CUNY
-Coalition of Italo American Associations
-Coccia Foundation
-Columbus Citizen Foundation
-Cooley’s Anemia Foundation,Inc.
-Federated Italo- Americans of So. California
-FIERI international, Inc.
-Garibaldi Meucci Musuem
-Gruppo Esponenti Italiani
-Guild of Italian Amer. Actors
-Italian Academy Foundation
-Italian American Dem. Leadership Council
-Italian American Federation of the Southeast
-Italian American Labor Council
-Italian American Legal Defense
-Italian American Museum
-Italian American One Voice
-Italian American War Veterans of the United States
-Italian Big Sisters
-Italian Chamber of Commerce (Assocameresteri)
-Italian Heritage & Culture Comm. NY
-Italian Historical Society of America
– Italian Language Foundation
-Italian Sons and Daughter of America
-Italian Welfare League
-Italic Studies Intitute
-Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans
-Justinian Forums
-National Council of Columbia Associations
-National Italian American Bar Association
-National IA Apostolate Conference
-National Italian American Business Assn.
-National Italian American Foundation
-National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame
-National Organization of Italian American Woman
-NJ Italian & Italian American Heritage Commission
-Order Sons of Italy in America
-OSIA – Commission for Social Justice
-The Center for Italian & Italian American Culture
-Tiro a Segno
-Tri- State Italian American Congress, Inc.
-UNICO National
-UNICO Foundation
-Weschester Italian Cultural Center
-Wisitalia
