“Structural Changes to Improve World Language Programs. Insights from the Top Private and Public Schools in the United States.” By Joaquín Fernández-Castro. 

I am thankful to Language Magazine, http://languagemagazine.com/online/Feb16/, issue of February 2016 (pages 33-35), or http://languagemagazine.com/?page_id=125145 for publishing this article under the section of “Steps to a New World Order.” It is based on my own independent research about the top private and public schools' language programs in the US. I argue that there are three types of structural changes that can accomplish major improvements and help students to achieve their full potential in foreign languages. This is the first step for our students to acquire 21^st century skills and to become global citizens.

INTRODUCTION

World Languages, more than ever, play an important role in our increasingly interconnected economy and global community. It is critical that schools endeavor to have programs able to support our students as successful citizens of the world. The capacity of our students to communicate in other languages, their ability to understand other cultures and to cooperate with other people around the globe in their native tongue, is a crucial component for 21^st century skills. Fluency in world languages enhances creativity, versatility, problem-solving and critical-thinking skills.

What can schools do to improve their World Language programs? There are three types of structural changes that can achieve major improvements and help students to achieve their full potential as global citizens. First, we must change the minimum requirement for languages and develop strategies to enhance it.  Second, we should implement early language acquisition, flexible placement and acceleration opportunities to meet each student’s gifts and abilities. Third, schools should offer diploma incentives for students learning two or more languages, establish total immersion abroad and develop endowment support for world languages. The following recommendations are based on a comparative analysis of the best World Language Programs among the top 10 public charter and magnet schools and top 10 private independent schools in the United States according to the rankings of the Washington Post, the US News and World Report and PrepReview from 2010 to 2015.

1.   Establish a standard world language requirement

Most colleges typically require for admission a minimum of 3 years in a world language during high school. This means students that never took a language before entering high school will complete the requirement after reaching level 3, typically by 11^th grade. For most competitive colleges, a level 3 is acceptable only for students with few opportunities to begin a language earlier and typically coming from the poorest and most disadvantaged public schools. Most competitive colleges expect 4+ years or the equivalent of an intermediate level in a world language from students with greater educational opportunities. This is typically satisfied by a College Board certified Advanced Placement (AP) course or by an International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program course, typically taken after level 3 or 4 in a language. This higher expectation is only fair since most independent schools’ and top charter and magnet public schools’ students begin languages at elementary or middle school and reach level 3 by 9^th or 10^th grade and intermediate AP or IB levels by10^th or 11^th grade.

Paradoxically, the wording in most schools’ requirements state that a world language is required up to level 3. This is a substandard requirement, resulting in many students dropping languages after grade 10^th in many top private and public schools and after 11^th grade in most public schools. Students with learning problems in language acquisition should be eligible to drop after level 3 but those cases should be the exception not the norm.  To help students to achieve their full potential as global citizens, schools must establish a standard requirement for world languages of level 4+ or at least through junior year. The language requirement through junior year will accommodate students who did not have a chance to take a world language until 9^th grade.

A level 4+ standard requirement could be enhanced if it includes the completion of an AP or IB level or any other form of advanced course by their junior or senior year. This is typical of top ranked public charter and magnet schools like the BASIS academies in Arizona; the Magnet School for the Talented and Gifted of Dallas, Texas; Stanton College Preparatory School of Jackson, Florida; the Carnegie Vanguard HS of Houston, Texas; the Signature School of Evansville, Indiana; the Academic Magnet HS of North Charleston, South Carolina; and the Gwinnett School of Lawrenceville, Georgia.

Students that reach the advanced level before completing their 11^th grade should be required to begin a new language. Some of the top independent schools, like Phillips Andover and Phillips Exeter do indeed have this type of enhanced requirement. IB schools, several of which are among the top public schools, require a world language through senior year to be eligible to the IB certificate program, which is another form of enhancing the requirement.

Another strategy to further improve World Language programs is to require Latin in addition to a modern language at middle school level. This requirement also improves academic performance with Math, Science, History, English and World Languages as well as ACT or SAT scores. There is a positive link between academic performance and a strong background in Latin. It is not a coincidence that the top independent schools ranked by ACT, SAT or AP scores, like Roxbury Latin, Brearley, Collegiate, Saint Ann’s and Trinity all require Latin AND a modern language at their middle schools.

Some of the top ranked public charter and magnet schools like the BASIS Academies, the Gilbert Classical Academy and the Accelerated Primary and Secondary school of Arizona also take this approach. All students are required to take a World Language from Kindergarten and by middle school they also are required to take Latin AND a World Language. If the school does not have a Latin program or making Latin mandatory does not have the support of the school community, a good substitute is to require two World Languages at middle school, one of which should be a romance language.

2.   Establish early world language acquisition and multiple tracks

The most effective World Language programs begin language acquisition early. The top private and public schools mentioned earlier have intensive programs in which all students begin a world language by PK or K level. The standard curriculum of level 1A and level 1B is completed by grade 5^th and 6^th, level 2 is completed by 7^th or 8^th grade, and level 3 by grade 8^th or 9^th. Even when students reach level 3 by grade 9^th, students are required to continue with the language through grade 11^th and encouraged to pursue it through grade 12^th. These schools typically have language placement by skill level at various points of admission and offer accelerated level 1, instead of 1A and 1B, for students that are accepted in middle school or choose to move faster. Moreover, these top schools have flexible rules allowing the simultaneous learning of several languages and even requiring Latin and a modern language at middle school. IB schools with their Primary Years Program and the Middle Years Program also introduce strong World Language programs earlier.

The schools with early language acquisition consistently rank among the top 10 or 20 public and private independent schools in the nation and are the best examples of the success of this approach. These leading schools’ successful experience with early world language acquisition support the findings from research: a young learner can easily assimilate any additional language and even several languages simultaneously. Paradoxically, many public and private elementary schools do not offer early language acquisition or do not allow students to take more than one language at a time until 9^th grade. These nonsense rules are especially damaging to Hispanic and other heritage students since they prevent them from simultaneously learning their mother tongue at a higher level and an additional World Language. These barriers are also damaging to female students in coed schools since girls generally excel in languages more frequently than boys.

Private or public high schools face a different set of circumstances if they are unable to influence their district decisions since they cannot implement early language acquisition by themselves. What can these high schools do to improve their world language program if they cannot influence their feeder middle or elementary schools’ curricula? Independent or public high schools are able to improve their World Language programs through multiple tracks, including regular, honors, and accelerated tracks in most world languages. Offering various types of sequencing and paths for students with different levels of abilities, interests and motivations is the best solution to compensate for the fact that they do not control early acquisition from PK through middle school. The accelerated and honors tracks could also be associated or linked to AP’s, IB’s or other advanced courses.

The effectiveness of multiple accelerated tracks can be enhanced through summer programs for some students to catch up to the expected level, or jump an additional level or to be bump up to an honors or accelerated track. Some of the top independent high schools in the nation such as Phillips Andover, Phillip Exeter, Hotchkiss and St. Paul, do offer 7 to 10 world languages, several tracks for the most popular languages as well as summer programs to support students. Similarly, some of the top public high schools offer several world languages and tracks as well as programs to support students who need them. Although financial resources are important to support a leading World Language program they are NOT as important as the other structural and “no cost” features such as early acquisition, multiple tracks, skills placement and a standard world language requirement through 11^th grade or 4+ years.

One of the major obstacles to improve world language programs is that most schools, independent or public, do NOT provide adequate placement opportunities for heritage students. Students who already speak and understand a world language need to be placed correctly at their skill level regardless of their age. Some heritage students also need accelerated tracks where their grammar or writing shortfalls can be addressed while allowing them to advance at a pace that matches their speaking and listening skills. Some of these students should be placed at AP level or IB’s Diploma Program courses by 9^th grade given their advanced level of language skills, but in most cases, they are pulled down to a non-challenging language level or forced to begin a new language. This is a serious problem affecting many students of Chinese origin, Hispanic and other minorities. It is aggravated by the fact that most Hispanic and minority students are financially disadvantaged and these obstacles rob them from the opportunity to use one of their few advantages and skills: their heritage language. If we are serious about global skills and expanded access to minorities, all private and public schools must address these problems.

3.   Establish diploma incentives, immersion abroad programs and launch endowment support for world languages

The best and most successful World Language programs also have diploma incentives, study abroad programs and endowment support. Most of the top private and public schools in the nation have a diploma program (awarded with their high school diploma) for Classical Language Scholars, World Language Scholars (fluency in three or more languages) and Dual Language student diplomas or “Seal of Bi-literacy” as it is called in most public schools. Similarly, most of the top private schools have a dedicated “Center for Global Studies” with buildings and resources to support such programs. Many of the top public schools are part of the IB curricula, which enhances a global connection. Diplomas in World Languages, Global Studies and the AP and IB curricula typically motivate students to continue with one or more world language, all the way through 12^th grade.

Further incentives can be articulated through immersion abroad requirements within the school World Language and Global Studies programs. This is the most effective method for students to acquire fluency in any language while developing 21^st century skills and multicultural understanding. The total immersion abroad requirement should be for at least a period of 4 weeks and could be split in 2 stays of 2 weeks each. Total immersion abroad programs should be fully credited and could be used by students to fulfill their academic requirements, advance faster or move into an Honors, accelerated, AP or IB tracks. Some of the top elite schools, like Collegiate, include the price of total immersion abroad programs in their overall school tuition and their financial aid packages. This enhanced requirement should be in addition to current programs like School Year Abroad or Semester Abroad among independent schools, which are voluntary and extremely limited in the number of students participating in these opportunities.

A stronger option would be to make at least one semester abroad mandatory anytime during the 4 years of high school. The majority of public schools cannot afford these type of programs. However, they may be able to obtain grant support from the DOE, the State Department, and Foundations targeting educational reform. Another alternative is cooperation with study abroad institutions like the NAFSA (Association of International Educators), College abroad programs or even establishing through each state’s department of education, school exchanges with other countries. Probably, most schools will need a combination of all of the above to enhance the opportunities for students to become global citizens and fluid in world languages.

The final element to achieve a first rate World Language program is to have Endowment support.  To increase the number of languages offered and the depth and breadth of the program would require endowed chairs for each different language as do the top independent schools in the nation. To have effective total immersion abroad, these programs would also require financial support, especially for the disadvantaged students and minorities that typically cannot afford to pay for these stay abroad programs.

Within independent schools, world language endowment support can be enhanced even further with endowed bilingual track-programs for heritage students and endowed language summer and immersion abroad programs. This would help disadvantaged students as well as those that need to catch up or choose to accelerate in a language but cannot afford immersion abroad or summer school. Public schools have more financial limitations to fund study abroad experiences or provide endowment support. This is where federal and state programs, educational foundations and cooperation with Colleges study abroad program can be most helpful.

CONCLUSION

The educational market includes private and public schools as well and national and international schools. It is not a coincidence that many of the top private and public schools have an enhanced World Language requirement, are implementing early language acquisition and making an effort to correctly place their heritage students. They are also providing multiple accelerated tracks and opportunities for their most capable and gifted students in order to retain them. These structural changes can give a competitive advantage to independent and public school students. These proposed changes when implemented within the context of the ACTFL World-Readiness Standards and Common Core expectations, assessments, program evaluation and grading based on those standards, can also allow these schools to be among the top schools nationally and internationally. Independent schools and public schools ignoring the overall global educational market dynamic are doing so at their own peril. After all, you cannot have a top notch school, private or public, with a second rate World Language program.

References:

PrepReview top 50 private schools index (2015). Retrieved from http://www.prepreview.com/ranking/

US News and World Report top public schools index, (2015). Retrieved from http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/articles/us-news-ranks-best-high-schools

Washington Post’s Challenge Index, (2105). Retrieved http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/local/wp/2015/04/19/americas-most-challenging-high-schools-national-top-25-list-for-2015/

“Joaquín Fernández-Castro has a B.A. and M.A. from the Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain, an ABD from MIT and is enrolled in the Certificate for New and Aspiring School Leaders at Harvard University. He has over twenty years of Spanish teaching experience and is currently teaching AP at Harvard-Westlake School.”