1 National K-12 Foreign Language Survey Findings on Programs and Teachers World Language Teacher Certification Summit STARTALK-NFLC December 9, 2009 Nancy Rhodes Center for Applied Linguistics

2 Background of Survey  Goal: Collect comprehensive data on FL instruction in elementary and secondary schools ( )  Replicate 1987 and 1997 surveys  Focus on national and regional data  Stratified random sample included 5,115 public and private elem. and sec. schools  4-page questionnaires (paper or online)  76% response rate

3 Key Findings: Amount of Instruction  Decrease in public elementary and middle schools teaching languages  Stable in high schools  Unequal access (rural and low SES schools)  Disparity between public and private elementary schools

4 Foreign Language Instruction in Public Elementary Schools in the U.S. (2008)

5 Key Findings: Languages  Spanish remained most commonly taught language  French, German, Japanese, and Russian decreased  Arabic and Chinese increased

6 Additional Key Findings  Negative effects of NCLB  Increased use of target language in classroom  Increased use of language standards  Increased articulation from middle to high school  Teacher shortages

7 Public(%)Private (%)Total (%) Foreign language teaching at the elementary school level and for elementary school teaching Foreign language teaching at the K–12 level Foreign language teaching at the elementary school level Elementary school teaching, but not specifically for foreign language Foreign language teaching at the secondary school level but not at the elementary level 486 Others who are not certified Certifications of Elementary School Language Teachers (by School Type) (2008) Note. Data refer to percentage of elementary school teachers with the specific teacher certifications. Totals equal more than 100% because respondents could check more than one response.

8 Certification of Public Elementary School Language Teachers (by Location) (2008) Urban (%) Suburban (%) Rural (%) Uncertified Language Teachers in Public Elem. Schools

9  25% of elementary schools offering FLs reported being affected by a teacher shortage  Rural schools and low SES schools most affected  Schools in Pacific Northwest and Central States most affected; schools in Southern region least affected Language Teacher Shortages at the Elementary School Level, 2008

10 Nontraditional Means of Recruiting Elementary School Language Teachers, 2008 Nontraditional Means of Recruiting  Hiring teachers from other countries  Contracting with proprietary language schools  Hiring instructors from local colleges/ universities  Sharing teachers with other schools

11  Has FL instruction in your school been affected by a FL teacher shortage? “Absolutely. We would not be subcontracting out to private language schools for our teachers if there were qualified teachers available.” Comment from Public Elementary School that Offers Language Instruction (2008)

12  Funding issues  District-level decision making, not school-level  FLs not seen as a core component of an elementary curriculum  Previously existing program no longer feasible  Shortage of FL teachers  Extracurricular FL instruction available Reasons Elementary Schools Are Not Planning to Offer Foreign Languages, 2008

Recommendations  Establish foreign language programs that start in the elementary school, aim at a high degree of proficiency (intensive instruction), and have well-designed articulation.  Offer programs that teach a wide range of world languages. 13

Recommendations, cont.  Expand the research base on foreign language instruction.  Elevate the importance of language education and make the teaching and learning of foreign languages a priority in the K–12 curriculum. 14

15 iGracias! Visit us online for the Executive Summary (free download) or to order the final report, Foreign Language Teaching in U.S. Schools: Results of a National Survey.