Introduction
Not since the post‐Sputnik era has so much attention been given to the learning of languages other than English. The tragic events of September 11, combined with a globalized economy, and increasing linguistic and cultural diversity within communities across America have created a need for language competence that will ensure national security, a thriving economy, and a cohesive society.
The US has no language policy, nor a language education policy. Despite sporadic and unsuccessful attempts to mandate English as the official language of the US, and despite state‐level referenda that have abolished bilingual education in a few states, there has been little effort at the national or state levels to shape which languages are taught in K‐12 schools, which learners are allowed to study foreign languages, Footnote 1 how long they continue their study, and what the goals of such study should be.
Despite the lack of formal policy, a new landscape prevails. In June 2004, the...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Notes
- 1.
This chapter will use the term ‘foreign language’ to refer to languages other than English taught in schools.
- 2.
Data collected in 2000 by ACTFL, and reported in 2002, are the most recent available on nationwide enrollments.
- 3.
These data are approximate. Some students in grades 7 and 8 attend schools housing grades 7—12, and those enrollment data are reported separately. Further, when state level enrollment data were not available, statistical extrapolations were used to estimate enrollments.
References
American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages: 2002, Program Standards for the Preparation of Foreign Language Teachers, Author, Yonkers, NY.
American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages: 2006, Integrated Performance Assessment (IPA) Project [WWW page], http://actfl.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3565
Branaman, L. and Rhodes, N.C.: 1999, Foreign Language Instruction in the United States: A National Survey of Elementary and Secondary Schools, Center for Applied Linguistics, Washington, DC.
Brown, C.: 1994, ‘Elementary school foreign language programs in the United States’, in R.D. Lambert (ed.), Foreign Language Policy: An Agenda for Change, Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Volume 532, 164–176.
Christian, D., Montone, C., Lindholm, K., and Carranza, I.: 1997, Profiles in Two Way Immersion Education, Center for Applied Linguistics and Delta Systems Inc., Washington, DC.
Christian, D. and Rhodes, N.: 1997, ‘Innovative second language education in North America, in G.R. Tucker and D. Corson (eds.), Encyclopedia of Language and Education, Second Language Education, Volume 4: Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, The Netherlands, 165–174.
Curtain, H. and Dahlberg, C.A.: 2004, Languages and Children: Making the Match, Pearson, Boston.
Day, E. and Shapson, S.: 1996, Studies in Immersion Education, Multilingual Matters, Clevedon, UK.
Draper, J. and Hicks, J.: 1994, ‘Foreign language enrollments in public secondary schools, Fall 1994,’ Foreign Language Annals 29(3), 303–306.
Draper, J. and Hicks, J.: 2002, Foreign Language Enrollments in US Public High Schools 1890–2000. Retrieved July 1, 2003 from the World Wide Web: http://actfl.org/files/public/Enroll2000.pdf
Genesee, F.: 1987, Learning Through Two Languages, Newbury House, Rowley, MA.
Hall, J.K.: 1999, ‘The communication standards’, in J.K. Phillips and R.M. Terry (eds.), 1999, Foreign Language Standards: Linking Research, Theories, and Practices, National Textbook Co., Skokie, IL.
Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium, INTASC Foreign Language Standards Committee: 2002, Model Standards for Licensing Beginning Foreign Language Teachers: A Resource for State Dialogue, Author, Retrieved December 20, 2005 from the World Wide Web: http://www.ccsso.org/content/pdfs/ForeignLanguageStandards.pdf
Kelly, L.G.: 1976, 25 Centuries of Language Teaching, Newbury House, Rowley, MA.
Lewelling, V. and Rennie, J.: 1997, ‘State Initiatives for Foreign Language Instruction’ in ERIC Review K‐12 Foreign Language Education, Educational Resources Information Center. Retrieved December 22, 2005 from the World Wide Web: http://www.cal.org/resources/ericreview.pdf
Lindholm‐Leary, K.: 2001, Dual Language Education, Multilingual Matters, Clevedon, England.
Linguafolio. Retrieved January 8, 2006 from the World Wide Web: http://www.pen.k12.va.us/linguafolio/about.html
Liskin‐Gasparro, J.E.: 1984, ‘The ACTFL proficiency guidelines: A historical perspective’, in T.V. (ed.), Higgs, Teaching for Proficiency, the Organizing Principle, National Textbook Co., Skokie, IL.
Met, M.: 2001, ‘Why language learning matters,’ Educational Leadership 59(2), 36–40.
Met, M.: 1998, ‘Curriculum decision‐making in content‐based language teaching’, in J. Cenoz and F. Genesee (eds.), Beyond Bilingualism: Multilingualism and Multilingual Education, Multilingual Matters, Clevedon.
Met, M.: 1994, ‘Foreign language policy in US secondary schools: Who decides?’, in R.D. Lambert (ed.), Foreign Language Policy: An Agenda for Change, Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Volume 532, 149–163.
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards: 2003, World Languages Other Than English Standards, Author, Retrieved December 22, 2005 from the World Wide Web: http://www.nbpts.org/candidates/guide/whichcert/23EarlyAdolYoungAdultWorld2004.html
National K‐12 Foreign Language Resource Center (NFLRC) & Research Institute for Studies in Education (RISE): 2004, Wyoming FLES Project 2004 Student Assessments. Author: Iowa State Univ., Ames, Iowa (unpublished report).
National Language Conference: 2004, A Call To Action For National Foreign Language Capabilities. Author. Retrieved December 18, 2005 from the World Wide Web: http://nlconference.org/docs/White_Paper.pdf
National Standards in Foreign Language Education Project: 1996, Standards for Foreign Language Learning: Preparing for the 21st Century, Author, Yonkers, NY.
Omaggio‐Hadley, A.: 2001, Teaching Language in Context, Third Edition, Heinle and Heinle, Boston.
Phillips, J.K.: 1996, ‘Standards for World Languages—On a Firm Foundation’, in J.K. Phillips and R.M. Terry (eds.), Foreign Language Standards: Linking Research, Theories, and Practices, National Textbook Co., Skokie, IL.
Phillips, J.K. and Terry, R.M. (eds.): 1996, Foreign Language Standards: Linking Research, Theories, and Practices, National Textbook Co., Skokie, IL.
Stewart, V. and Wang, S.: 2005, Expanding Chinese Language Capacity in the United States, Asia Society, NY.
Swain, M. and Lapkin, S.: 1991, ‘Additive bilingualism and French immersion education: The roles of language proficiency and literacy,’ in H.G. Reynolds (ed.), Bilingualism, Multiculturalism, and Second Language Learning: The McGill Conference in Honour of Wallace E. Lambert, Lawrence Erlbaum, Hillsdale, NJ.
Swender, E. and Duncan, G.: 1998, ‘ACTFL Performance Guidelines for K-12 Learners’, Foreign Language Annals 31, 479–491.
Wiggins, G. and McTighe, J.: 1998, Understanding by Design, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Alexandria, VA.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2008 Springer Science+Business Media LLC
About this entry
Cite this entry
Met, M. (2008). Foreign Language Learning in K‐12 Classrooms in the United States. In: Hornberger, N.H. (eds) Encyclopedia of Language and Education. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-30424-3_94
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-30424-3_94
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-0-387-32875-1
Online ISBN: 978-0-387-30424-3
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and Law