Articles tagged with foreign language

Making foreign language a top priority, merely lip service in U.S. schools

logo_wyySigh. There is something inherently disappointing in the tendency of American policymakers to talk about what needs to be done—and then fail to do it.

Latest case in point: We all know of the need to teach more students a foreign language before they enter tomorrow’s global economy. Yet, over the past decade, thousands of public schools have dropped all instruction in French, Spanish, and other languages.

So reports a study released by the Center for Applied Linguistics, which surveyed 5,000 public and private schools about their foreign language instruction. The study, conducted in collaboration with the research group Westat, was funded by the U.S. Department of Education.

A closer look at the report reveals that the decline in foreign language classes hasn’t occurred at the high school, where officials are heedful of state mandates and the coursework students need to enter college.

No, the dramatic cuts are at the elementary and middle school, where foreign language educators have long argued is where instruction should begin—and must begin if more students are to truly master a language during their school years.
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Naomi Dillon|January 21st, 2010|Categories: Curriculum, Governance, Leading Source, School Reform|Tags: , , |

Bilingualism an asset in global future, but not a reality in today’s curriculum

School officials in Fairfax County, Va., understand well that foreign language instruction is critical if today’s students will be ready to compete in tomorrow’s highly competitive global economy.

But, as is so often the case, lofty education goals run afoul of financial realities.

Years ago, the Fairfax County, Va., school system called for all students to start early to learn a foreign language—in elementary school—so they would graduate with some fluency in a second language.

Yet now officials in this Washington, D.C., suburb are weighing budget cuts that endanger this innovative and logical instructional objective. At risk are language immersion programs existing in a dozen elementary schools as well as plans to add foreign language instruction to dozens more.

It’s not a given that the programs will be cut. “School officials say the early programs are crucial to producing a generation of bilingual students,” reported a recent Washington Post article. “Two or three years of high school French typically is not enough to get students beyond a beginner level.”

Any foreign language instructor will tell you the same thing. The earlier you start teaching a second language—and the longer you teach that language—the more likely you’ll end up with a bilingual student.
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Naomi Dillon|November 19th, 2009|Categories: Curriculum, Diversity, Leading Source, Student Achievement|Tags: , , , , , , |
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