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##  Promoting a Language Proficient Society: What You Can Do. ERIC                  Digest.                                                                      

Interest in and support for language study has been strengthened in             the United States in recent years by the growing recognition that               proficiency in more than one language benefits both individual                  learners and society. For the individual language learner, research             has found a positive link between second language proficiency and               cognitive and academic ability. Several studies indicate that                   individuals who learn a second language are more creative and better            at solving complex problems than those who do not (Bamford &                    Mizokawa, 1991). Other studies correlate bilingual proficiency with             higher scores on standardized tests and tests of both verbal and                nonverbal intelligence (Caldas & Boudreaux, 1999; Hakuta, 1986;                 Thomas, Collier, & Abbott, 1993). A multilingual workforce enhances             America's economic competitiveness abroad, helps maintain our                   political and security interests, and promotes tolerance and                    intercultural awareness. 
Although the opportunities that are                  available for learning languages may vary depending on where you                live in the United States, there are many things you can do to                  encourage the study of languages in your home, your classroom, or               your community, whether you live in a small town or a major                     metropolitan area. This digest suggests specific ways that parents,             teachers, school administrators, policymakers, and members of the               business community can foster the learning of languages among                   children and adults. WHAT CAN PARENTS DO?*Expose your children            to people from varied language and cultural backgrounds. 
*                    Participate in events where language and cultural diversity are                 celebrated. 
* If you speak a language other than English, use it              with your children. 
* Speak positively to your children about the             value of learning another language. 
* Provide videos, music, and              books in other languages. 
* Send your children to summer language             camps. For older children, consider programs in which they can study            languages abroad. 
* Explore having an exchange student from                   another country in your home. 
* Investigate opportunities for                 formal language study for your children, beginning as early as                  preschool and extending through their high school years. 
*                    Reinforce existing language programs by expressing support for them             to local, state, and national representatives. 
* If your child is             participating in a language program, talk to the teacher about what             you can do at home to reinforce the learning that takes place in the            classroom. 
* If your child's school does not have a language                  program, talk with other parents, PTA members, and the principal                about getting one started. WHAT CAN TEACHERS DO?* Find out                which languages are spoken by school staff, by students, and in the             community at large. Speak with parents and administrators about                 options for using community resources to promote language and                   cultural awareness among students. 
* Use resources from school and            local libraries and from the Internet to enhance foreign language               lessons. 
* Set up an in-class lending library with foreign                    language books, magazines, and videotapes for students and parents              to use. 
* Align your foreign language curriculum with the national            standards for foreign language learning. 
* Plan activities that               encourage students to develop an awareness and appreciation of the              linguistic and cultural diversity represented in your classroom. 
*            Give your students opportunities to use their languages outside your            classroom (for example, within your school, at other schools, or at             community events or agencies). 
* Encourage parents who speak a                language other than English to use it with their children. 
* Talk             to parents about activities and study habits that can improve their             children's language learning. 
* Invite community members who use              languages other than English in their careers to discuss career                 opportunities with middle and high school students. 
* Collaborate             with other foreign language, bilingual, and English as a second                 language teachers to share resources and work together toward common            goals. 
* Pursue professional development activities (attend                   conferences, read journals and newsletters, take courses and                    seminars) to keep up to date on language learning research and on               new approaches to language teaching. 
* Travel abroad to expand or             update your knowledge of the language and culture. 
* Keep up with             advances in language learning technology and adopt new and                      stimulating approaches to teaching languages, such as promoting                 videoconferencing experiences and international "keypal" (penpal)               projects on the Internet. WHAT CAN SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS DO?If            a language program does not currently exist in your school or                   district: 
* Develop a rationale for establishing a program by                 reading professional literature on the importance of second language            learning and the cognitive benefits of developing second language               proficiency. 
* Work with district administrators or the school                board to establish a steering committee made up of parents, foreign             language and other teachers, district administrators at all levels,             and business and community members to investigate the feasibility of            establishing a program in your school or district. 
* Learn about              the different types of language programs to determine the most                  appropriate program for your school or district. 
* Take inventory             of existing resources (staff and materials) to determine the type               and size of program your school or district can realistically                   support. 
* Generate community support at PTA meetings and teacher             conferences. Hold district-wide planning meetings and invite                    community leaders, business representatives, language and other                 teachers, and administrators. Ensure ongoing communication among all            groups that have a stake in the establishment and maintenance of                language programs through regular meetings and updates. 
If your               school or district already has a language program: 
* Ensure that              all students have the opportunity to study languages. 
* Hire                  trained teachers who are skilled in the languages they teach. 
*               Provide resources and professional development opportunities for                language teachers. 
* Promote and provide opportunities for                    collaboration among all teachers involved in second language                    education. For example, establish a committee for second language               teachers. 
* Purchase language materials for the school                        library. 
* Promote and support the use of new technologies to                 enhance language learning. 
* Devote sufficient instructional time             to languages other than English to enable students to achieve                   proficiency. This should be a minimum of 75 minutes per week,                   preferably at least three to five times per week for 45 to 60                   minutes each. At the middle and high school levels, language classes            should meet for as long as other academic classes, such as math and             science. 
* Promote articulation of language classes (the logical              sequencing of courses in the curriculum to avoid unnecessary                    repetition) at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. 
*              For middle and high schools, hold career days to provide information            about jobs that require skills in more than one language. 
* Use               student and community resources to strengthen the program (for                  example, through tutoring, international fairs, cross-cultural                  exchanges, and guest speakers). WHAT CAN POLICYMAKERS DO?*                Budget adequate financial resources to establish and improve second             language programs in your school, district, or state. 
* Support               and fund professional development programs for second language                  teachers. 
* Support and fund curriculum development projects                  carried out by second language teachers. 
* Establish policies that            promote the study of second languages at all levels by all                      students. 
* Support research on the effectiveness of various                  models and practices for second language programs. 
* Support the              establishment of standards for and assessment of student and teacher            performance at local, state, and national levels. 
* Support                   policies that respect the diversity of students in your community or            state. WHAT CAN THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY DO?*Make policymakers              aware of the need for workers to be proficient in more than one                 language. 
* Send company representatives to school career days to             talk to students about the important role that languages other than             English play in the workplace. 
* Talk with teachers and                       administrators about how they can help prepare students to work in              an increasingly global economy. 
* Establish partnerships with                 schools, other businesses, and communities to support activities                such as student internships, tutoring, and mentoring. 
* Ensure                that jobs requiring language skills are filled by applicants who are            truly proficient in the languages needed. 
* Provide employees with            opportunities to maintain and improve their language skills. 
*                Provide appropriate cultural training for employees who work in                 culturally diverse environments. 
* Establish partnerships with                school districts to provide financial support for starting or                   maintaining language programs. WHERE CAN I GET MORE                           INFORMATION?*Many of the ideas listed here are from Languages               and Children: Making the Match, by Helena Curtain and Carol Ann                 Pesola (Longman, 1994), and "Elementary School Foreign Language: The            Establishment and Maintenance of Strong Programs," by Marcia H.                 Rosenbusch (Foreign Language Annals, 24, 297-31, Sept. 1991). 
*               American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, 6 Executive              Plaza, Yonkers NY 10701, phone 914-963-8830, www.actfl.org, e-mail              [email protected]
* Center for Applied Linguistics, 4646 40th Street            NW, Washington DC 20016-1859, phone 202-362-0700, www.cal.org,                  [email protected]
* National Network for Early Language Learning, Attn:            Nancy Rhodes, Executive Secretary, Center for Applied Linguistics,              4646 40th Street NW, Washington DC 20016-1859, phone 202-362-0700               ext 257, www.educ.iastate.edu/nnell 
* An on-line directory of                 resources for foreign language programs, a collaboration of the                 National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education and the ERIC                     Clearinghouse on Languages and Linguistics, will be forthcoming in              Summer 2000. Visit www.cal.org/ericcll/directory.html for more                  information. REFERRENCESBamford, K.W., & Mizokawa,                        D.T. (1991). Additive-bilingual (immersion) education: Cognitive and            language development. "Language Learning, 41," 413-429. 
Caldas,               S.J., & Boudreaux, N. (1999). Poverty, race, and foreign language               immersion: Predictors of math and English language arts                         performance. "Learning Languages, 5," 4-15. 
Hakuta,                           K. (1986). "Mirror of language." New York: Basic Books. 
Thomas,               W.P., Collier, V.P., & Abbott, M. (1993). Academic achievement                  through Japanese, Spanish, or French: The first two years of partial            immersion. "Modern Language Journal, 77," 170-180. 
This digest was            prepared with funding from the U.S. Dept. of Education, Office of               Educational Research and Improvement, National Library of Education,            under contract no. ED-99-CO-0008. The opinions expressed do not                 necessarily reflect the position or policies of ED, OERI, or NLE.            **Title:** Promoting a Language Proficient Society: What You Can Do. ERIC                  Digest.                                                                      **Document Type:** Information Analyses---ERIC Information Analysis Products (IAPs) (071); Information Analyses---ERIC Digests (Selected) in Full Text (073); **Available From:** ERIC/CLL, 4646 40th Street NW, Washington, DC 20016-1859. Tel:                  800-276-9834 (Toll Free). For full text: http://www.cal.org/ericcll.         **Descriptors:**  Administrators, Business,  Community Role, Elementary Secondary                Education,  Language Proficiency,  Parent Participation, Policy                 Formation, Second Language Instruction, Second Language Learning,                Second Languages,  Teacher Role                                             **Identifiers:** ERIC Digests                                                                 
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