Lexington, KY - On the morning of September 11, 2001, 19 Al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners and intentionally caused the crash of two airliners into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City.
A third airliner crashed into the Pentagon and a fourth plane crashed into a field in rural Pennsylvania after passengers attempted to take control of the plane as it headed for Washington, D.C. Nearly 3,000 people, including the hijackers, died in the attacks.
The failures of our national security systems were, in part, the result of our inability to deal with the mass of intelligence in "critical" languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Persian/Farsi, Russian and Turkish. Inadequacies were not about lack of funding or awareness of the crucial role multi-linguists play in the intelligence community, but the scarcity of individuals proficient in world language literacy and culture.
The result has been a Sputnik-like surge of legislation and programs focused on building a generation of world language speakers beginning in the early years of school. The history of the federal government in setting foreign language and international education policy dates back to the 1940s. Federal intervention was tempered by a concern for local control.
The demands of competing in the global marketplace and preventing further acts of terrorism on U.S. soil are compelling reasons for the federal government to expect language accountability in our schools. As summarized in 2006 by the Council on Economic Development:
"The increasing diversity of our workplaces, schools, and communities is changing the face of our society. To confront the 21st century challenges to our economy and national security, our education system must be strengthened to increase the foreign language skills and cultural awareness of our students. America's continued global leadership will depend on our students' abilities to interact with the world community both inside and outside our borders."
Opportunities to engage in learning with students of diverse cultures and languages provide the rich, contextual environment necessary for meaningful communication. The growing presence of the international community in Lexington supports our children's opportunities to prepare for the demands of "working in the world." The Fayette County Public School's (FCPS) Web site notes that no less than 72 languages are spoken by students and adults in Fayette County schools.
Alicia Vinson serves as the world language specialist for FCPS. Vinson was born in Uruguay to parents of Greek, Italian and French heritage. She was the first Spanish teacher in Maxwell's highly successful Spanish immersion program and established English immersion programs in Uruguay as a consultant to
the World Bank. She has also brought Spanish to life at KET as Senora Alicia, teaching primary students Spanish with immersion strategies, and she serves the community as a human rights commissioner.
Local efforts to prepare children with the attitudes and skills they will need as adults is documented in the FCPS 2020 Vision project, which calls for language instruction for all children kindergarten through grade 12, the addition of Chinese and Japanese, certification and professional development of language teachers, and an articulated (sequenced) curriculum with systematic assessment to measure levels of proficiency. Partial funding for the World Language Program was secured three years ago through a grant from the Foreign Language Assistance Program (FLAP) of the U.S. Department of Education.
The FLAP program is designed to expand less commonly taught language programs, including Chinese and Japanese. Chinese classes began in 2007-08 at Dixie and Yates elementary schools and Crawford Middle School, while Japanese instruction began at Picadome Elementary, Stonewall Elementary and at Jessie Clark Middle School. Some schools have established "partner" schools and children learn about language and culture as they meet through video conferencing with children and teachers in China.
The district was awarded a second FLAP grant this year that will provide $300,000 per year for five years. The funding will enable schools to expand programs in Chinese and Japanese. (This is particularly relevant due to the number of Asian companies located in Kentucky.)
Fayette County Schools offer students the opportunity to learn classical and modern languages such as French, German, Latin, Spanish, Chinese and Japanese. Instruction encompasses both culture and language. At Maxwell, Liberty and Russell Cave
elementary schools, some students spend half of the day immersed in Spanish while learning math and science content. These students can choose to continue Spanish studies at Bryan Station Traditional Middle School and Bryan Station High School. Maxwell and Bryan Station middle and high schools are members of the International Spanish Academies.
Teachers must be certified "in field" by the Kentucky Professional Standards Board. The district has a partnership with Northern Kentucky University to provide native speakers in Chinese and Japanese the opportunity to become certified.
In his 2009 address to the Kentucky World Language Association, Education Commissioner Dr. Terry Holliday shared his commitment to world language proficiency, saying, "It is time public schools in Kentucky realize the importance of learning a second language and recognize that along with mathematics, science and technology, it is a critical skill for success in the 21st century."
Members of the University of Kentucky Senate demonstrated the same level of commitment with their unanimous approval of a proposal to require all prospective students to demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language through an assessment exam beginning in the fall of 2012.
High levels of student performance were demonstrated by Fayette students in the 2009 World Language Festival state competitions sponsored by KWLA. Crawford was first and LTMS was second in Chinese. Jessie Clark was first in Japanese; Lafayette was second, and Dunbar third, in French. Henry Clay was third in Latin. Bryan Station High was second and Bryan Station Traditional was third in Spanish.
Learning a second language enhances cognitive flexibility and understanding of English structure and vocabulary. Students are empowered as learners and have a greater appreciation of cultural diversity.
Site-based councils make curriculum decisions for schools. A second language is best learned before adolescence and when it is sustained by well-sequenced, well-articulated programs. For additional information about existing programs, visit http://www.fcps.net.