Foreign Language Education

The author believes that foreign language education
in the United States is impacted by the attitudes of
American citizens. This belief rests on the fact
that foreign language enrollment data have followed
immigration trends. The author wishes to emphasize
that she sees a problem with this relationship;
while the leading immigrant group may be catered to
in many aspects of the American education system,
funding and requirements for diverse foreign
language education may be put aside. As a result,
due to a narrow spectrum of choice, the United
States education system may restrict American
citizens, and consequently the nation, from fully
engaging in today s world.
The need to expand the spectrum of foreign language
instruction has been pointed out by language
professionals during crisis situations; however,
enrollment and requirement data show that the
outcome of such calls for expansion tends to vanish
as time passes. It seems that the only question
remaining is: What is the next historical crisis
that will serve as a basis for recommendation while
education in the leading immigrant group s language
continues to grow?

Autorentext
Nancy Vieira Sterniak, a native of Brazil, currently is an
Assistant Professor of Spanish at Northern Caribbean University
in Mandeville, Jamaica. She also teaches Portuguese at an ALCOA
facility. For the past twenty-six years she has studied and
worked in the United States. Most of her education and work
relate to foreign language.

Klappentext
The author believes that foreign language education in the United States is impacted by the attitudes of American citizens. This belief rests on the fact that foreign language enrollment data have followed immigration trends. The author wishes to emphasize that she sees a problem with this relationship; while the leading immigrant group may be catered to in many aspects of the American education system, funding and requirements for diverse foreign language education may be put aside. As a result, due to a narrow spectrum of choice, the United States education system may restrict American citizens, and consequently the nation, from fully engaging in today's world. The need to expand the spectrum of foreign language instruction has been pointed out by language professionals during crisis situations; however, enrollment and requirement data show that the outcome of such calls for expansion tends to vanish as time passes. It seems that the only question remaining is: What is the next historical crisis that will serve as a basis for recommendation while education in the leading immigrant group's language continues to grow?