This study examined how the experiences of African-American and white students in a partial French immersion second grade classroom in Louisiana differed from the experiences of students in a regular education classroom. It focused on students' perceptions of themselves and others, students' interactions with their teacher and peers, parental support of students' educational experiences, and teacher interactions with students. Using field observations, interviews, and questionnaires, this cross-comparative case study found that while overall students' self-concept was better in regular education, African-American girls benefited immensely in terms of self-concept, their peers' perception of them, and the extended interactions they had with the teacher. Further, African-American students in the regular education classroom, while having high self-concept, were perceived negatively or not at all by their peers, often had negative interactions with the teachers, and were not included in extended interactions with the teacher. French immersion was a more social environment where students helped each other and in which girls, particularly African-American girls, were perceived in a positive light. Students' scores are appended. (Contains 12 references.) (SM)