I saw this and was shocked and disappointed that there is not more publicity for this legislation. We need to contact our representatives NOW:
On the last day of the 111th Congress, a bill sponsored by U.S. Congressional Representatives Rush Holt (D-NJ) and Paul Tonko (D-NY) was quietly introduced. The bill, H.R. 6036, or the Excellence and Innovation in Language Learning Act, cites a pervasive lack of foreign language capacity that threatens the security and economic well-being of the United States. Holt and Tonko propose legislation that would allow every young American to become proficient in a second language—in addition to English—within a generation. The plan is to start language instruction in early childhood and ensure that they are able to build capacity throughout their elementary and secondary education until they gain proficiency. The legislation proposes the U.S. Departments of State, Defense, and Commerce pool what they know about language supply and demand, and to put together a synopsis of how to meet a variety of language-related needs.
Read the full article at http://www.examiner.com/asia-headlines-in-national/foreign-language-education-targeted-by-congress
This could be wonderful is enacted and then actually put into practice. Something has to be done. Here is Georgia, they eliminated the foreign language requirement to graduate from high school and have cut elementary programs throughout the state. In some of the remaining programs, instruction has been reduced from 5 days a week to just ONE day a week.
Every study done shows how beneficial foreign language study in elementary school is in SO many ways. This is certainly a step in the right direction!
