American schools losing the language race

[theHandpuppet]

I was truly shocked to read the statistics in the article below. When I was in high school, even in the economically depressed area of Ohio where I'm from, kids had the opportunity to study Spanish and French (not to mention Latin) and courses in other languages were often offered to both adults and kids during the summer. American students are already behind in math and science but I was unaware that many schools aren't even offering language classes anymore. Good grief! What's going on? Teachers and parents, give us some insight here.

Link: http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090924/EDIT03/909270306/Can+you+read+this?
From the Cincinnati Enquirer
Can you read this?
US suffers foreign language weakness
By Krista Ramsey • [email protected] • September 24, 2009

This year, as 200 million Chinese students study English, fewer than 50,000 American students will study Chinese.

While virtually 100 percent of European and Asian elementary students study a second language, 97 percent of Ohio and Kentucky students do not because their schools don't offer one.

From 1960 to 2002 - as U.S. companies drastically expanded their global reach - the number of U.S. college students taking a foreign language dropped by 50 percent. Today, only 8 percent study a second language, and only 1 percent major in one. Yet from 2007 to 2008, the number of foreign students studying in the U.S. grew by 7 percent and the number enrolled in intensive English programs jumped by 24 percent.

American schools have been losing the language race for decades - a loss that translates into ever greater economic disadvantages for U.S. businesses and national security concerns. Each year, U.S. companies lose an estimated $2 billion because of employees' inadequate language skills and poor cultural competence, according to the Committee for Economic Development.... MORE

[orpupilofnature57]

1. Part of the story ,if language was required to watch tv ,porno ,and sports

to order fast food, to make someone feel like shit ,we'd all be fluent in all the languages.

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. Foreign language isn't tested

We only teach what is tested in these days of NCLB hell.

[Dinger]

6. Touché proud2BlibKansan

Good post.

[Deja Q]

9. And what is tested?

The ability of children to discern the differences between Nintendo and Sony?

[proud2BlibKansan]

14. In my state

Communication Arts, Math and Science.

[Telly Savalas]

16. There are at least two foreign language immersion schools I know of in KCMO

Both of them are subject to NCLB tests.

NCLB may suck, but if it demanded the reduction of the teaching of foreign language, these schools wouldn't exist.

[proud2BlibKansan]

18. Foreign language is not tested

I never said it wasn't taught. But watch as they cut the budget even more (which is inevitable). I predict no more foreign language immersion schools. And no more arts as well.

The district is facing a $6 million deficit in the next fiscal year unless some drastic changes are made. They can't afford to pay teachers to teach subjects that aren't tested.

[aquart]

3. We refuse to teach a second language till puberty, when it's too late.

An utterly idiotic policy.

[eShirl]

12. It's not too late, it's just much harder for the student to learn then.

[peace frog]

17. When I entered first grade 51 year ago

in Florida, conversational Spanish was part of the curriculum. Stupidly, this excellent program was discontinued.

[greymattermom]

4. in Florida you have to speak Spanish

to work at any job it seems. None of these people can move to Florida or California and be employed?

[Captain Hilts]

13. But to function in the global economy, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Portuguese or French

or German are more useful.

Especially in technology fields there is a TON published in Russian, German and French, not Spanish.

[Dinger]

5. Our School Used to Have Foreign Language For Elementary Students

But budget cuts took care of that. We are a $poor, rural school district. We do very well on standardized tests, and continually receive awards for this, but I'm not sure how long this will continue with our budgets being cut.

[justabob]

7. It is even more messed up than that

When my son was still attending public schools, he was at an elementary school that was 98% hispanic. Because of that statistic, his school was exempt from the spanish language requirement our school systems have here. That is wrong on so many levels. By that logic, because the rest of us speak english as our first language we should not have to take English classes!! What is wrong with making Spanish speakers learn spanish grammar, syntax, usage et al?

We got my son into a private school for middle school, and of course he has to take foreign language. As a result of his elementary schools not requiring Spanish he could not keep up with the Spanish class he was in and had to switch to French. It was a good move and I think he really enjoys French, but living in Texas Spanish would be more practical. I also hate it that he had to struggle through a trimester of Spanish, not able to keep up etc plus the emotional strain it added. It is so unbelievably frustrating.

[proud2BlibKansan]

19. That is stupid

Why not let the kids who don't speak Spanish learn it so they can TALK to the kids who do?

Seems pretty simple. LOL

[Deja Q]

8. How many languages should our children learn, and

what the hell happened to all us dumb murkinz being unables to evun count? Isn't math the true universal language?

Uh-oh. A one-world language... can't have that. On the plus side, the bird cage made in China wasn't made by somebody good at math. The parts were off by a couple millimeters so it couldn't be assembled...

In short, these "Americans can't ______" are bullshit, yanked fresh from the cow, because what's going on in the real world prove none of it matters. The documentation for a bookshelf I had purchased was extremely poorly written. An American didn't do it, as the whole of it was made in China.

Whatever is done cheapest. Education and intellect have NOTHING to do with it.

[eShirl]

10. We've always been behind in foreign language instruction.

As I understand it, most countries begin teaching at least one additional language in grammar school.

[Captain Hilts]

11. Too many systems direct kids to Spanish when they should be learning Portuguese, Chinese or Russian

or French.

[appamado amata padam]

15. The decline in foreign language studies has been, in part,

yet another example of the "USA! USA! We're #1!" mentality: "Hey, why do I need to learn another language when I can just stay here in the greatest country in history?"

This is another example of how our students are being cheated and left behind. In addition to being practical, studying another language is good exercise for the brain; gets you thinking in different ways.

I have started studying some Mandarin in my middle age. It is very hard, and progress can seem to come frustratingly slow. However, it has also been in a lot of ways fun, and has stirred some thoughts I probably wouldn't have had otherwise.

This quote from the article is also thought-provoking:
"Each year 20 million more Chinese take up English - one reason experts predict by 2029 there will be more Chinese English speakers than native English speakers."

[debbierlus]

20. They need to start in elementary school

[pipi_k]

21. Well, from what I've seen over the years...

our schools aren't even doing a good job teaching English.


Something is desperately wrong here. Grammar...spelling...all going down the tubes.

[MadHound]

22. Too much emphasis on the core subjects, which are tested under NCLB

Entirely too much time is spent teaching science, math, reading and writing. All other subjects, including languages, are suffering.

Furthermore, language teachers, along with art, music and PE, are some of the first to go during a money crunch. Most schools have been operating under a money crunch for a long time now.