Cincinnati Schools Focus on Foreign Languages
In June the Cincinnati Public Schools received a grant of $747,768 for high school foreign language instruction. This is part of President Bush s National Security Language Initiative. And while I love the fact that the Cincinnati Schools are putting some more money towards foreign language instruction, it s sort of a backward approach. It s ironic that terrorist activity and concerns about the nation s safety are the impetus for encouraging Cincinnati Schools and American students to learn a second language.
Wouldn t the fact that learning a second language helps Cincinnati students make other academic connections be a good enough reason? Or what about the fact that knowing a second language opens up a world of job opportunities? Of course, it all comes down to money and politics. And the current political climate is that test scores get more money and attention that any other factor. But how does that affect the Cincinnati Schools?
To be fair the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) was designed to bring consistency and standards to education. A great intention. But those of us who shiver at an overuse of test scores see the funds that are wasted on tests, test preparation, and time lost for other more worthy educational opportunities. I do think that the Cincinnati Schools and the rest of the nation will see some benefits from the pressure that NCLB puts on the public schools. I just wish the focus was better balanced.
Here s what I would like to see as the focus of Cincinnati Schools: a well-rounded education that includes academics, arts, world studies, and money management. Yes, here I sit in a dream world of what the Cincinnati Schools could look like if only politicians and deep-pocketed philanthropists would wisely seek out my opinion.
And here s what I would like the world studies component to look like for the Cincinnati Schools. Foreign languages should be required in the early elementary years when students are able to easily learn new languages and accents. Cincinnati Schools does have one school that offers children a half day of immersion in French. Studies found that this has no negative effect on the English language skills of the students involved. And the speed with which children under 10 years old can pick up a foreign language is amazing.
It really is great that the Cincinnati Schools now have some additional funds to offer languages like Farsi and Arabic to its high school students. I just hope that the parents in Cincinnati Schools will clamor for more language at earlier ages. And I hope teachers and administrators in the Cincinnati Schools will share their knowledge about the benefits of learning a second language early in life. They could be huge.
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