Running head: POSSIBLE DISADVANTAGES, ANSWERS, WITH VISUALS

Persuasive Paper Part 3: Possible Disadvantages, Answers, with Visuals

Michelle Bates
Professor Lori Reagan
Strayer University
English 215 Writing & Research
December 12, 2014

The Importance of Learning Foreign Languages in High School

Only about 18% of the people in the US are able to speak another international
language apart from English (Grosse, 2004). America is lagging behind other nations, which
can be solved through introducing compulsory lessons in foreign language in the national
curriculum for the high schools (Liu, 1999). Obviously, learning foreign languages is the best
answer to this question. Among other advantages, being fluent in foreign languages is likely
to prosper the national economy, improve the countrys relations with other nations, improve
the ability of the US citizens to compete for international business or employment
opportunities and improve corporate understanding between America and foreign
governments or industries (McKay & Wong, 2006).
This research paper aims at convincing readers to take a similar position on the need
to develop and implement a new curriculum that will make learning foreign languages
compulsory in the US high schools. The audience is made up of scholars at the university
level, including the parents of high school students, students and the teaching staff. Therefore,
it is expected that the audience will pose strong challenges to the topic and the research
question as well. In particular, the audience is expected to investigate the need for the
research, its justification and importance in the field of education (Hendon, 2004).
English is undoubtedly a very beautiful language, and it is a good thing to love it and
be proud of it. It is among the most prominent languages in the world. However, Americans
cannot do without other languages in this century. The 21st century has experienced an
increase in international jobs and business opportunities, threats to both global and national
security and other factors that necessitate international understanding. Therefore, American
students should learn at least one foreign language to enhance their chances of favorably
competing with other nations for job opportunities, economic development and national and
international security.

The call for a second language is not a new issue in the American educational set up.
It has been a concern since the 1970s. In 1979, the President's Commission on Foreign
Language and International Studies proposed a second language for all tertiary institutions in
America (Foreign languages an essential core experience, 2014). This recommendation was
followed by another one by the College Board in 1983. The new recommendation required
schools to teach all students at least one foreign language. In 1996, school administrators
unanimously endorsed foreign languages as crucial for the development of K-12 students
(Foreign languages an essential core experience, 2014). However, the achievement of all
these recommendations has not been good enough because only 18% of the American
population can speak at least a foreign language (Grosse, 2004). Therefore, America have
succeeded fewer outcomes compared to what other countries have accomplished (Liu, 1999).
Firstly, learning a foreign language has a great cognitive effect on an individual
(Foreign languages an essential core experience, 2014). Scholars have found out that
learning a foreign language contributes to the improvement of the learners' aptitude in other
subjects. Several studies compared the performance of students taking foreign languages to
that of students who only take English. The results indicated that the performance of those
learners taking foreign languages is better than that of other students (Foreign languages an
essential core experience, 2014).
Secondly, the 21st century world is dominated by globalization: technological
advancement has made it possible for people from different countries to interact in attending
to global issues (Rubin, 2001). As a result, people from different parts of the world meet in
educational institutions, conferences to discuss the development and use of technology and
other global issues such as global warming (Block & Camer, 2012). It is also common for
people to compete for international jobs and business opportunities (McKay & Wong, 2006).
Communication is always a very big problem whenever such groups and organizations meet.

The third and perhaps the most problematic issue concerns attaining international
peace and understanding. The last two centuries experienced widespread war between and
among many countries in the world. Countries fought in the World War II, World War I, the
cold War and many other wars. Worse still, countries are still fighting each other even in the
21st century. For example, Russia is still in a conflict with Ukraine. In addition to the war
between countries, terrorism has become a global issue. Terrorist groups such as Boko
Haram, Al-Queda and Al-Shabab have become a global concern. Therefore, nations must
come together to discuss the best ways to bring peace and co-existence and fight terrorism.
Integrating the proposal of ensuring that the US students take four years of foreign
language in high school as a policy may elevate the current US education system as a
globally amalgamated system. Among the notable advantages of the proposal include ease of
communication, preservation of culture, indiscrimination of second language and
simultaneous endorsement as students participating in bilingual translanguaging are assured
of preserved identity in the process of acquiring education. Therefore, this part of the paper
explores the underlying solution and advantages of endorsing the proposal requiring the US
students to take four years of foreign language in high school.
In order to turn the proposal requiring the US students to take four years of foreign
language in high school into a policy, there is need to assimilate translanguaging in the
curriculum to promote appreciation of world culture and making the learning process more
accommodative to minority cultures in the US. This may be achieved through a complete
bilingual education as a form of instructional education where information is presented to
learners in more than one language (Block & Camer, 2012). I would recommend that they
start the immersion program beginning in elementary school.
Most programs in modern high schools are bilingual at the least literal sense.
However, the scope has been limited to certain topics or classes. There is need to introduce
the proposed second language policy in high schools since it has the benefit of minimizing

discrimination, promoting diversity, and proactive preservation of all cultures as equal. For
instance, the mainstream students will be given an opportunity to learn unique languages and
reduce the gap in interaction within the minority language students. Though young minority
group members face a difficulty relating to fluent English speaking majority, they have a
chance to present a lot in terms of diverse and preserved cultural background associated with
unique pride which can be maintained, while at the same time, they have a chance to learn
English effortlessly as a tool for interaction with the mainstream culture (Grosse, 2004).
The proposal supports flexible translanguaging as a means of making the US high
students global citizens who can work in part of the globe. Therefore, flexible
translanguaging, which touches on identity, culture, appreciation of diversity, and
simplification of the learning process, may be important in molding global citizens and
manpower that if flexible to work and live in any part of the world (Medina, 2003).
Translanguaging policy guarantees that students participate in consequential
education process despite belonging to diverse cultures. Through the proposed
translanguaging policy, it is easy for the high school administrations to implement the
equality policies since they can be created in different languages that the learners use. If all
learners can learn and speak various languages, they will learn to appreciate diversity without
self-contempt. In the end, majority and minority learners will both grasp the educational
curriculum concepts while acquiring another language for future creative multilingual use
(Garca, 2007).
Admittedly, studying a foreign language will be beneficial for young people as well
as the entire educational system and the US society. Young Americans will be able to
compete successfully in the US and world labor market. Importantly, four-year program of
learning a foreign language in school will have a great positive impact on development of
diversity and inclusion as young people will better understand other languages and cultures,

which is essential for the highly diverse US society (see fig. 1). However, it is necessary to
add that the program is associated with certain economic and structural disadvantages that
have to be addressed to make the program successful.

Total US Population (Under 18)

Asian

Black

Hispanic

Non-Hispanic White

Figure. 1. The US Population Is Highly Diverse (The United States of education,

2014)
In the first place, the program will require additional funds and this can be a
significant burden for some areas. Implementation of the policy entails the change of the
curriculum, additional training of the faculty and hiring teachers of foreign languages.
Clearly, not all teachers are bilingual and only a few schools have teachers of certain
languages. More so, the rate of diversity among teachers is very low as more than 80% of
educators are representatives of the majority (see fig. 2). Hence, schools will have to employ
more teachers to meet the needs of students. The policy in question also has to be based on a
comprehensive approach, as it involves bilingual and multicultural environment. Educators
have to be ready to effectively work in such settings and, hence, they need extensive training.

Us Teachers by Race, 2011-2012 School Year

Non-Hispanic White

Non-Hispanic Black

Hispanic

Figure.2. Diversity among US teachers (Maxwell, 2014).

This all leads to the need of additional funds. The US economy is now witnessing
certain growth but state budgets may be still unprepared for the additional expenditure.
Admittedly, it is essential to develop a detailed plan of funds allocation and it is also
important to launch a wide campaign in support of the policy to make people aware of its
benefits.
Another disadvantage of the policy may be structural, as any policy needs time to
reveal its implications and benefits. Thus, at least, a decade will be necessary to understand
benefits and possible downsides of the policy in question. The teachers should gain certain
skills and experience, students have to pass the four-year program and they should graduate
from college and start their working careers. The rate of successful employees will be the
most relevant data to measure effectiveness of the policy. A decade can be a minimum
sufficient period to trace the changes occurring in the society. However, potential benefits of
the program make it worth trying as the USA needs particular policies aimed at development
of diverse and democratic society.

Conclusion
The 21st century requires the knowledge of more than one language. This century is
has witnessed the reduction of the world into a global village. People from different countries
meet very often to discuss emerging issues such as global warming, terrorism and economic
matters. They also meet during interviews to compete for the same job opportunities.
Therefore, all US students should take a four-year foreign language course in high schools to
help them compete favorably with candidates from other nations for jobs and business
opportunities. These languages also help them contribute in international conferences on
issues such as global warming, peace and terrorism. In addition, research has proven that
learning foreign languages enhances the aptitude of learners in other subjects. Operating
bilingual classrooms is the best alternative for effective methodology to relate curriculum to
the high school students in the US Among the advantages include safeguarding social
cohesion, equitability, and economic benefits. These benefits will improve the high school
learning environment for the minority and mainstream learners who will learn to appreciate
diversity and cultural integration in learning. In conclusion, it is possible to note, that the
four-year learning of a foreign language in the US high school can be an effective reform that
will make young Americans more competitive in domestic and global labor force market. The
policy will also have numerous positive effects on development of the US society as learning
a foreign language involves learning more about another culture. This, in its turn, leads to
development of tolerance and open-mindedness. Clearly, the policy may have certain
disadvantages, as it requires significant amount of time and additional funds. Nonetheless,
potential benefits of the policy make it clear that it should be implemented nationwide.

References

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http://utm.edu/staff/bobp/french/flsat.html
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http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2014/08/20/01demographics.h34.html
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Psychology Press.
Grosse, C. U. (2004). The competitive advantage of foreign languages and cultural
knowledge. The Modern Language Journal, 88(3), 351-373.
Hendon, U. S. (2004). Introducing culture in the high school foreign language class. Foreign
Language Annals, 13(3), 191-199.
Liu, J. (1999). NonnativeEnglishspeaking professionals in TESOL. Tesol Quarterly, 33(1),
85-102.
McKay, S. L., & Wong, S. L. C. (2006). Multiple discourses, multiple identities: Investment
and agency in second-language learning among Chinese adolescent immigrant
students. Harvard educational review, 66(3), 577-609.
Rubin, J. (2001). What the good language learner can teach us. TESOL quarterly, 2(3), 4151.