American Curriculum and Foreign Language

AMERICAN CURRICULUM AND FOREIGN LANGUAGE 11

Running head: AMERICAN CURRICULUM AND FOREIGN LANGUAGE 1

American Curriculum and Foreign Language

Name

Institution

Abstract

The global setting currently presents specific unique opportunities, especially within the global labor markets. However, to harness such opportunities, the education curriculum must be able to open up space in terms of the development of foreign languages with the aim of ensuring that such students are prepared for the dynamism and the robustness that is evident in the broader social, economic environment. The current education system in the United States has had significant failures in the overall ability to ensure that the process of foreign language acquisition is exclusive and effective. The objective of this research is to assess the various dynamics that stand out in the United States’ context, which betray underlying failures in the course of implementing the foreign education framework. The study cites a variety of possible gaps, which seem to be at the center of the current challenges in the teaching of foreign languages. The issues include policy failures, failures in the recruitment and retention of teachers, and the gaps in the implementation of the curriculum.

Why doesn’t the American public school curriculum encourage more foreign language?

Introduction

The United States has one of the most robust populations concerning international integration. The same is reflected in the education system due to the high levels of international students within the education system. However, it is arguable that despite this evident growth in the extents of international students, there is an underlying concern around the lethargy to increase the levels of foreign language integration within the system (Swanson, 2008). The concerns around this current gap are partly because the current labor market has undergone a critical revolution within the scope of globalization, which allows individuals to work anywhere across the global setting. The assumption, in this case, is that the process of learning should encompass a level of integration of foreign languages that allows the students an opportunity to fit into the global labor markets as competent global citizens (Scot, 2008). However, this paper notes that due to specific underlying concerns, the United States’ public education curriculum has failed to encourage the development of more foreign languages within the system.

Annotated Bibliography

Pufahl, I., & Rhodes, N. C. (2011). Foreign Language Instruction in U.S. Schools: Results of a National Survey of Elementary and Secondary Schools. Foreign Language Annals, 44(2), 258-288. doi:10.1111/j.1944-9720.2011.01130.x

The study by Pufahl and Rhodes included a total of 5000 United States public and private elementary and secondary schools. According to Putahl & Rhodes (2011), the changing scope of global citizenship presents specific underlying dynamics for education stakeholder. The dynamics include the need to integrate other foreign languages within the United States curricular, with the aim of preparing the students adequately towards becoming global citizens. The scholar reveals that over the last decade the patterns in the introduction and trends in the teaching of foreign languages may have decreased despite the observable development at the beginning. The article is critical for this research because it offers critical insights on the specific areas of concern within the curriculum, which require urgent intervention in the push towards achieving high levels of foreign language proficiency.

Rodhes, N., & Puhfal, I. (2014). An Overview of Spanish Teaching in U.S. Schools: National Survey Results. Informe del Observatorio / Observatorio Reports, (2014), 1-26. doi:10.15427/or002-06/2014en

The research on the extent of to which schools in the United, States embrace the teaching of foreign languages within the educational setting is at the center of this research. According to Rodhes & Pufhal Spanish, in particular, is an essential language within the United States context due to the high numbers of Spanish speaking citizens and non- citizens in the country. The survey of public and private schools in the country, however, reveals a different picture. According to Rhodes & Pufahl (2014), there exists an indisputable role in the Spanish language in the current system in the United States. Nonetheless, there is an underlying inadequacy in the levels of proficiency of the Spanish language in the classroom setting. The article will be critical in the course of establishing the possible underlying failures in the formulation of a comprehensive education system within the United States curriculum.

Curtain, H., & Dahlberg, C. A. (2010). Languages and children: Making the match. New styles for young learners, Grades K-8 (4th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

The text by Curtain & Dahlberg (2010) provides some critical research on the issues that surround bilingualism in the current United States curriculum. The choice of the book as a source for this research is based on the reality that it provides specific critical insights, which are uncommon in most of the current literature. On the same note, this research offers a critical understanding of some of the issues that stand as hindrances in the course of achieving a second language within the United States education system. The authors specifically seek to focus on the K-8 language classroom and the dynamics that make up the language acquisition process. The choice of the book as source premises on the underlying reality that the current system has made critical failures in the course of aligning the method of teaching foreign languages with standard – based planning.

Swanson, P. (2008). Efficacy and interest profile of foreign language teachers during a time of critical shortage. NECTFL Review, 62, 55-74.

The research by Swanson (2008) offers an exciting and somewhat broad view of the current foreign language teaching process in the United States and the possible unique challenges that the educators grapple with in the course of teaching foreign languages. The article underlines the issue of teacher retention as the central and most critical concern in most of the private and public schools in the region. According to the research by Swanson (2008, an apparent failure exists in the manner in which the schools seems to handle the issue of recruitment of foreign language teachers especially and the continuous process of retention in the schools. The scholar argues that such failure may lead to gaps in the course of achieving the set progressive goals within the classroom setting especially when it comes to issues such as teacher efficacy. The underlying failure in the achievement of high levels of foreign language acquisition may be a consequence of such shortfalls in the well-being of the educators.

Scott, R. A. (2005). Many calls, little action: Global illiteracy in the United States. Language Problems & Language Planning, 29, 67–82.

The article by Scott (2005) reinforces the need to deal with the issue of foreign language acquisition from a critical point of view mainly because of the extent of independence it offers to the students once they graduate especially within the global labor markets. According to Scott essential gaps exist in the extent of exposure to other languages within the education system in the United States. The differences in the attainment of a language reflect on the overall failures to achieve the level of language competence necessary to compete effectively within the global employment setting. The article also laments that failures may lead to observable concerns around the ability to bring up globally aware citizens.

Lo Bianco, J. (2011). Language Planning as Applied Linguistics. The Handbook of Applied Linguistics, 738-762. doi:10.1002/9780470757000.ch30

The choice of this text is perhaps based on the important technical underpinnings it provides especially in relation to the current application of scientific education in the United States. The book clarifies that in the last decade the process of foreign language planning has faced severe concerns about the inefficiencies and the impracticable means through which the foundations of foreign language acquisition exist. The study by Lo Bianco (2011) notes that the process of language planning and teaching within the school setting ought to be in line with the kinds of policies and structures that exist within the broader educational framework. According to the scholar, the underlying failure in the actualization of foreign language acquisition may be a reflection of the gap that exists in the course of implementing friendly policy frameworks.

Rosenbusch, M. H. (2008). The No Child Left behind Act and Teaching and Learning Languages in U.S. Schools. The Modern Language Journal, 89(2), 250-261.

The article by Rosenbusch (2008) discusses the dynamics around the no child left behind policy and the issues within the policy that have a direct implication on the general process of foreign language acquisition. According to the research by Rosenbusch, the current policy structure that governs the no child left behind policy has contributed to the notable limited time available for foreign language lessons within the broader education system. The scholar laments the underlying limitation in the extent of time allocation for the teaching of foreign languages in the education system.

Evans, B. A., & Hornberger, N. H. (2009). No child left behind: repealing and Unpeeling federal language education policy in the united states. Language Policy, 4(1), 87-106. doi:10.1007/s10993-004-6566-2

The article by Evans & Hornberger (2009) reflects on the changing scope of multilingual education in the United States and the dynamics it presents. The article notes that since the Bilingual Education Act of the year 1968, which sort enhance the focus of the education needs of minority students, there has been a consistent focus on the need to improve the extents of foreign education attainment. The progress reflects on the progressive attempt to enforce a sense of expansion in the linguistic development within the education setting. The article, however, considers the impact of the No Child left behind on the overall focus on linguistic competence in the broader curriculum with the aim of enhancing the broader ability to acquire better proficiency in multiple languages.

Balter, A., & Grossman, F. (2009). The Effects of the No Child Left Behind Act on Language and Culture Education in Navajo Public Schools. Journal of American Indian Education, 48 (2), 19-46.

Balter & Grossman (2009) also asses the unique implications of the No Child left behind policy on the process of achieving the set pedagogical standards in the course of teaching within the current system in the United States. The scholar reveals certain underlying shortcomings in the overall ability by the current system of education to guarantee the students a level of proficiency that would improve their competence at the international level. The scholars question the role of the current policy in the extent of interference notable in the course of achieving more significant levels of foreign language acquisition.

The Reasons for the failure in the integration of Foreign Languages

In essence, the research findings reflect on a variety of issues that show the possible underlying shortcomings within the system. The article is reflective of the concerns that underlie within the current system that indicate a systematic problem in the handling of bilingual and multilingual education (Curtain & Dahlberg, 2010). The first concern relates to the fact that the education policy in the United States has had underlying failures in the course of integrating foreign languages within the system. The No child left behind policy has failed the acid test in relation to the ability to expose the learners to foreign languages (Balter & Grossman, 2009).

The argument that this research makes is that the failure within the policy to make rational changes within the system with the aim of improving on the extents of foreign-based language teaching has been at the center of the problem that stands out in the broader setting. The failures in the process of implementing the underlying changes in the foreign language Act has been at the center of the controversies in the course of evaluating the implications of the No Child left behind policy (Evans & Hornberger, 2009). Pundits argue that there is an underlying failure by legislators and stakeholders to deal with the loopholes in the education system and to embrace the need for foreign languages within the curriculum.

The second issue that stands out in the case of foreign languages within the United States education system is the realities of gaps within the curriculum is the extent of exposure of the teachers in the system (Lo Bianco, 2011). First, the education system in the United States has not made deliberate decisions in the course of dealing with the teacher shortage in the curriculum. For instance, it is notable that the extents of teacher recruitment in the system, responsible for teaching foreign languages have been slow (Scott, 2008). The issue limits the extents of foreign language attainment in the education setting (Pufahl & Rhodes, 2011). The other aspect relates to the concerns that relate to the failure within the system to ensure that there is adequate retention of the teachers who teach these foreign languages.

The failure to enhance retention therefore often leads to extreme cases of shortages in the overall system. The level of foreign language attainment in such context is limited by underlying shortfalls the number of teachers available (Rodhes & Puhfal, 2014). In essence, it is also observable that the United States struggles with the rising concerns around the levels of pedagogical experience that teachers within the system possess. The question reflects on the possible implications of a teaching process where the teacher does not have critical exposure of the foreign languages (Rosenbusch, 2008). The result in such cases may be a failure to take a leading role in the course of teaching within the foreign language classroom.

Conclusion

The research on the underlying gaps within the education system in the United States reflects the curriculum and the issues within the structure of the system, which limits the course of foreign language integration. Studies indicate that while there have been progressive steps made within the curriculum with the intention of enhancing the overall development of foreign languages, the curriculum still has failures that limit the consistent enhancement of the learning curve towards the preparation of such learners to become global citizens.

References

Balter, A., & Grossman, F. (2009). The Effects of the No Child Left Behind Act on Language and Culture Education in Navajo Public Schools. Journal of American Indian Education, 48 (2), 19-46.

Curtain, H., & Dahlberg, C. A. (2010). Languages and children: Making the match. New languages for young learners, Grades K-8 (4th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Evans, B. A., & Hornberger, N. H. (2009). No child left behind: repealing and Unpeeling federal language education policy in the united states. Language Policy, 4(1), 87-106. doi:10.1007/s10993-004-6566-2

Lo Bianco, J. (2011). Language Planning as Applied Linguistics. The Handbook of Applied Linguistics, 738-762. doi:10.1002/9780470757000.ch30

Pufahl, I., & Rhodes, N. C. (2011). Foreign Language Instruction in U.S. Schools: Results of a National Survey of Elementary and Secondary Schools. Foreign Language Annals, 44(2), 258-288. doi:10.1111/j.1944-9720.2011.01130.x

Rodhes, N., & Puhfal, I. (2014). An Overview of Spanish Teaching in U.S. Schools: National Survey Results. Informe del Observatorio / Observatorio Reports, (2014), 1-26. doi:10.15427/or002-06/2014en

Rosenbusch, M. H. (2008). The No Child Left behind Act and Teaching and Learning Languages in U.S. Schools. The Modern Language Journal, 89(2), 250-261.

Scott, R. A. (2005). Many calls, little action: Global illiteracy in the United States. Language Problems & Language Planning, 29, 67–82.

Swanson, P. (2008). Efficacy and interest profile of foreign language teachers during a time of critical shortage. NECTFL Review, 62, 55-74.