We have the capacity to learn any language from infancy, which is exemplified by people—including myself—who are natively bilingual and grew up speaking two languages simultaneously.
However, this ability is not used to its full potential, nor is second language instruction provided early enough in schools to optimize children's chances of becoming fluent.
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced in 2010 that only "18% of Americans report speaking a language other than English, while 53% of Europeans can converse in a second language."
That is a staggering and, quite honestly, embarrassing difference.
As a nation built by the passion and ambition of immigrants, it is unfortunate that second-language learning did not develop into a crucial aspect of the education system.
Technology and travel have made cross-cultural interactions far greater now than in past years; students must increasingly learn to become global citizens of the world. The most crucial aspect of becoming a global citizen is having solid communication skills.
In order to better prepare students for the international interactions they are bound to have in the future, there needs to be reform in the structure of the education system.
Public and private elementary schools offering foreign language instruction decreased from 31 to 25 percent from 1997 to 2008. Of these schools, the rural schools suffered the most cuts.
Only about half of middle schools across the country offer second language instruction (58%).
As for high schools, instruction has remained steady, at about 91%, which is a high number, but it still does not result in enough students who genuinely become fluent in the language.
Generally, students start taking a second-language in the U.S. start in 6th or 7th grade, but rarely continue long enough to become fluent. Not only is second language instruction starting late, it is underfunded in some schools and simultaneously underappreciated.
Some school districts justify their decrease in language instruction with budget cuts and lack of qualified teachers, but this easily be solved by hiring native speakers,which would not only provide a stable job for an immigrant, it would also allow the students to learn the language from an authentic source.
In Montgomery County, Maryland, students who continue second language enrollment through high school are taking 45 minutes of language instruction for five days a week. Though the language instruction takes place all five school days, 45 minutes is barely enough, especially since students generally only speak a few minutes per class.
Of the languages taught, the most popular ones students choose are the Romance languages: Spanish and French.
However, as demographics change and political interactions evolve, countries that have more direct and influential ties to the U.S. are affecting what languages students opt for in schools.
According to the U.S. News article on language statistics, enrollment in Chinese language grew dramatically when it was first introduced as an AP course in 2007. Enrollment increased to 32% between 2007 and 2014, but by the end of 2014, plummeted to only 6% (which translates to 10,728 high school students).
Though this trend is allowing for more non-traditional languages to be taught, which is great, the numbers are still decreasing. If this trend continues and instruction is funded better, we should expect to see Arabic and Korean being implemented more in schools.
Not only will language comprehension prove to be vital in cross-cultural interactions, but second languages also provide great cognitive benefits, including an improved ability to concentrate, increased brain efficiency and a delay in dementia.
It is undeniable that communication is the most basic and essential aspect of human interactions and in this increasingly globalized world, we must prepare our students for the rigors of these international interactions. Second language instruction is the first and most important way to get them the support they need.
