Learning to Speak the World's Languages

Abstract

THE increasing diversity of our workplaces, schools, and communities is changing the face of our society. Meanwhile, in order to confront the 21st-century challenges to our economy and national security, the U.S. education system must be strengthened to increase the foreign language skills and cultural awareness of our students. This according to the Committee for Economic Development (CED), an independent organization of business and education leaders, in its 2006 report Education for Global Leadership: The Importance of International Studies and Foreign Language Education for U.S. Economic and National Security. The CED recommends that: 1) international content should be taught across the curriculum and at all levels of learning to expand American students' knowledge of other countries and cultures; 2) the training pipeline should be expanded at every level of education to address the paucity of Americans who are fluent in foreign languages, especially critical, less commonly taught languages; and 3) national leaders in politics, business, philanthropies, and the media should inform the public about the importance of improving education in foreign languages and international studies. To address all the implications of the CED report in my limited space here is impossible, so let me examine only how states can take up the matter of foreign language instruction. State leadership can make foreign language instruction a priority in a number of ways: by focusing on the importance of foreign language instruction, by addressing coursework requirements, by providing funding or other fiscal incentives, by recognizing excellent achievement, by helping to create a supply of high-quality teachers, and by allowing options for how districts and schools offer instruction in foreign languages. Focus on the importance of foreign language instruction. This year, the Utah legislature created a pilot program titled the Critical Languages Program. Utah S.B. 80 clearly states that the legislature recognizes the importance of skills in foreign languages in order for students to successfully compete in a global society. It also notes the academic, societal, and economic development benefits of learning languages--defined as Chinese, Arabic, Russian, Farsi, Hindi, and Korean. S.B. 80 requires the state board of education, in consultation with the Utah Education Network, to develop and implement courses of study in the critical languages. Courses may be taught over EDNET, the state's two-way interactive system for video and audio, or through the Electronic High School. A 2006 Minnesota bill, H.B. 4162, authorizes the commissioner of education to contract with the Board of Regents of the University of Minnesota--or another Minnesota public entity--to develop an articulated K-12 Chinese curriculum for Minnesota schools. Following the curriculum development, the commissioner is to report to the education committees of both legislative houses on the applicability of the Chinese-language-acquisition project to other world languages and include information on curriculum, high-quality school programs, assessments, and best practices as they apply to world languages. Meanwhile, the Massachusetts board of education recently voted to grant a charter to the state's first foreign language immersion charter school. The Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School will serve students in grades K-8 and will teach them Mandarin Chinese, in addition to building their proficiency in English. Address coursework requirements. Several years ago, Jennifer Dounay, an Education Commission of the States (ECS) policy analyst, collected provisions related to foreign language in the elementary and middle schools. She found that many states have recommended or required that schools offer or students receive foreign language instruction prior to high school. For example, Kentucky's state department is required by law to establish a program that promotes the integration of the arts and foreign languages into the elementary school program. …