By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms Of Use.
Accept
WhatsNew2DayWhatsNew2Day
  • Home
  • Australia
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Entertainment
  • Gaming
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Tech
  • US
  • World
Reading: Comment: Being multilingual is no longer a responsibility for students. That’s good for the US.
Share
Aa
WhatsNew2DayWhatsNew2Day
Aa
  • Home
  • Contact
  • About us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Home
  • Australia
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Entertainment
  • Gaming
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Tech
  • US
  • World
Follow US
© 2022 WhatsNew2Day News Network. All Rights Reserved.
WhatsNew2Day > US > Comment: Being multilingual is no longer a responsibility for students. That’s good for the US.
US

Comment: Being multilingual is no longer a responsibility for students. That’s good for the US.

Last updated: 2023/03/19 at 6:00 AM
Jacky 4 days ago
Share
Comment: Being multilingual is no longer a responsibility for students.  That's good for the US.
SHARE

The Netflix show “Emily in Paris” follows a young woman from the Midwest who struggles to adjust to a new culture after a haphazard promotion sends her to France. She got the job despite not speaking French, a highly unlikely scenario in real life.

The plot could have been more believable to me if the character was multilingual because I speak English, Spanish and French. Speaking and writing a second language are skills that US Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona frequently touts as a superpower that can breed success in an increasingly global workforce. Encouraging students to become multilingual is one of six focus areas for him, and he is driving a initiative to transform the educational system of the United States.

Such a national focus on promoting bilingualism is unusual, considering that 78% of US residents speak only English.. But it would mean finally encouraging millions of students whose first language is not English to maintain their fluency while learning English. I would also emphasize the idea that native English speakers can expand career opportunities by learning a second language. However, it would also require some radical changes in both attitudes and the curriculum if the dream of producing more bilingual students is to become a reality.

“We must evolve our schools,” Cardona said during a press call earlier this month, adding that the White House is proposing about $125 million in the next budget to support bilingual programs, including expanding the pipeline for teachers. of languages ​​and subsidies to the states for more teaching of foreign languages.

These funding commitments are a good start for ambitious proposals that are quite a departure from what we have seen from previous education secretaries. It has taken too long for educators to see the benefits of multilingualism when so many American students speak a second language at home that could be formally taught alongside English to achieve full proficiency in both languages.

Cardona’s tone is also strikingly different from that of educational leaders in the recent past. For decades, students whose first language is not English have been viewed as a liability and discouraged from using any language other than English in the classroom. Nativists condemned bilingual education as an undermining of American culture.

Such sentiments prompted the passage of Proposition 227 in California in 1998, eliminating bilingual education and requiring public schools to teach students whose first language is not English in English. It was repealed in 2016.

Now, Cardona asks that we consider these students who speak multiple languages ​​as “asset gifted.” Such a shift in perspective is long overdue and comes at a time of growing interest in teaching American students to become proficient in a second language, as evidenced by the popularity of dual language immersion programs. In 2010, there were about 1,000 bilingual programs in US public schools, increasing to more than 3,600 by 2021, according to the American Councils Research Center.

Thanks in large part to dual immersion programs, California leads other states when it comes to foreign language instruction, with more than 57,500 students considered literate in at least two languages ​​in the 2021-22 school year. The state Department of Education has set a goal to enroll half of K-12 students in two or more language proficiency programs by 2030 and 75% by 2040.

Cardona wants the nation to go much further: to the point where all K-12 students are expected to learn to read and write in a second language.

It’s no surprise that Cardona, whose first language is Spanish, raves about the benefits of bilingualism. He says he helped him become Connecticut’s youngest principal and, years later, to his current position overseeing the US education system. It wasn’t easy. Cardona’s Puerto Rican parents spoke his native language at home and he fought to learn English as a kindergarten child.

Without a doubt, the biggest obstacle to helping more students achieve proficiency in a second language is the lack of bilingual teachers, who are considered foreign language instructors and are typically required to obtain bilingual certification. Forty-four states could not fill all of its foreign language teacher vacancies, a 2017 study commissioned by Congress found. Schools across the country have struggled to fill seats in recent years, especially those for teachers of foreign languages.

Under the Global California 2030 initiative, the state has a goal of hiring about 2,000 additional credentialed bilingual language teachers by 2029, which would mean about twice as many what he had in 2019. In addition, the state Department of Education is considering increasing partnerships with programs such as the Migrant Education Mini-Corps Program to expand the pool of bilingual teachers.

Clearly, it will take years to create and staff bilingual programs in all public schools. But multiplying the number of multilingual students as Cardona envisions will require more than just a shift in public opinion about the benefits of bilingualism.

The United States is one of the few countries considered monolingual, compared to most European countries where students begin learning a second language at age 9, according to the Pew Research Center. In 2017, the US Department of Defense sponsored the National K-12 Foreign Language Enrollment Survey to determine the status of foreign language instruction in K-12 public schools. He found that only 11 states required the study of a foreign language for graduation.

The fact that most Americans speak only English puts our country at an economic disadvantage and threatens national security if we cannot understand and analyze potential threats like terrorism or contagion. The lack of multilingual speakers in the US has prompted the Department of Defense to partner with eight states to develop bilingual instruction programs. Certainly, English speakers cannot expect to land jobs like the one that brought Emily from Netflix to Paris if they don’t have the requisite language skills. That is a fantasy that only exists in Hollywood.

You Might Also Like

What the Fed’s latest rate hike means for credit card rates and other loans

Anti-porn bills in eight states would force firms like Apple to censor nude and explicit content

Gisele says she was ‘blindsided’ by FTX failure and trusted the ‘hype’ behind SBF

Your refrigerator could be spying on you! Senate committee clamps down on smart devices

Fears TikTok’s BORG trend that caused 50 US students to be hospitalized will be copied in Australia

TAGGED: comment, Good, longer, multilingual, responsibility, students
Jacky March 19, 2023
Share this Article
Facebook Twitter Email Print
Share
Previous Article Heartbreak: Andrew Lloyd Webber, 74, has revealed his eldest son Nicholas is 'gravely ill' in hospital as he bravely battles gastric cancer Andrew Lloyd Webber reveals his son Nicholas, 43, is ‘gravely ill’ with stomach cancer
Next Article Nadia Bartel shared an exciting family announcement with her Instagram fans on Sunday Nadia Bartel shares exciting family announcement

Latest

After countless blows to the head throughout his playing days, AFL great Brendan Fevola (pictured with his family) decided to have a brain scan to see if there was any lasting damage, revealing the results on live radio.
AFL great Brendan Fevola reveals the results of a brain scan that had been done after many concussions
Australia
The Federal Reserve's latest interest rate hike could mean higher borrowing costs for some consumers, especially those with large credit card debt.
What the Fed’s latest rate hike means for credit card rates and other loans
US
Despite starting out as one of the strongest couples on Married At First Sight, it looks like Duncan James and Alyssa Barmonde are about to go south (pictured)
MAFS AU: Duncan James surprises bride Alyssa Barmonde by leaving her in final vows
Entertainment
Readers ring out with qualified immunity, 'Danger!'  and impeach Trump
Readers ring out with qualified immunity, ‘Danger!’ and impeach Trump
News
Photos: Tunisia’s coppersmiths put a shine on Ramadan
Photos: Tunisia’s coppersmiths put a shine on Ramadan
World
Alexander Cameron suffered a long battle with ill health and left the law school to retire after his cancer diagnosis in 2020, following a career spanning more than 30 years.
David Cameron mourns his older brother who inspired him to leadership: Alexander Cameron dies at 59
News

nba 2k23 mt

© WhatsNew2Day News Network. All Rights Reserved. Email: contact@whatsnew2day.com

  • Home
  • Contact
  • About us
  • Privacy Policy

Removed from reading list

Undo
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?