To be addressed:  Are we creating global citizens?  How can foreign language programs help?  The direction of U.S. Education

Are we creating global citizens? Globalization:  “In a 21st-century world where jobs can be shipped wherever there's an Internet connection, where a child born in Dallas is now competing with a child in New Delhi, where your best job qualification is not what you do, but what you know -- education is no longer just a pathway to opportunity and success, it's a prerequisite for success.” (Obama).

According to the Roper 2002 Global Geographic Literacy Survey from National Geographic, a poll of 3, to 24 year olds in multiple countries including the U.S.:  “Fewer than three in ten think it's absolutely necessary to know where countries in the news are located.”  “Only 14 percent believe speaking another language fluently is a necessary skill.”

 “Seventy-four percent said English is the most commonly spoken native language in the world (it's Mandarin Chinese).”  “…63 percent of Americans aged 18 to 24 failed to correctly locate [Iraq] on a map of the Middle East.  “Seventy percent could not find Iran or Israel.”

 “Only 20 percent of Americans have passports and only 2 percent go abroad during college exchange programs.” ~ Living Languages  “Between 1990 and 2000 there was a 57 percent increase in foreign born citizens.” ~ Living Languages

America facing Globalization  Breaking down of trade barriers  Internet and the exporting of services  National Security in a multicultural world  Remaining competitive in a changing world

How can Foreign Languages help? Benefits AffectiveCognitiveAcademic

Affective Benefits Global Awareness OpportunityTravel

Global Awareness  New perspectives: changing lenses  Empathy towards the peoples of the world  National Security: resolving conflict and shedding the isolationist perception

Travel  Travel with ease and peace of mind  Knowledge of region brings significance  Become more than a tourist

Opportunity  Chance to study abroad  Unlocks access to more scholarships  Marketability

Cognitive benefits Metalinguistic Awareness Attention Control

Mental Flexibility  Utilizing multiple codes  Enlarging the toolbox  The ability to shift and harness differing frameworks

Metalinguistic Awareness  The ability to think about language itself  Understanding of linguistic concepts  Deepening of first language comprehension

"What is involved is a process in which the study of a different language gives a person an understanding of the nature of language itself, a sense of structure that is difficult to acquire from studying one's own familiar language. Any new language forces us to think why...we need to do what we do to express ourselves clearly.“ Vermont Royster

Attention Control  Prioritizing, shifting, and focusing attention where needed  Constant need to choose the right language in the right context can serve to develop the prefrontal cortex  The prefrontal cortex is home to Executive functioning in the brain

Academic Benefits Higher Test Scores Math Reading

Academic Benefits  Studies show correlation with higher scores and foreign language learning in: Math computations and math problem Solving English Reading The ability to generate high quality scientific hypotheses

Steps towards Global education in the U.S  National legislation and Initiatives  Wyoming Initiatives

National and State legislation and program initiatives  The Partnership for 21 st Century Skills  National Foreign Language Coordination Act of 2009 (S.1010)

The Partnership for 21 st Century Skills  Using 21st century skills to understand and address global issues  Learning from and working with those who are culturally diverse  Understanding other nations and cultures, including the use of non- English languages

The Partnership for 21 st Century Skills 14 Participating States : ArizonaIllioniosIowaKansas LouisianaMaineMass.Nevada New Jersey North Carolina Ohio South Dakota West Virginia Wisconsin

The Partnership for 21 st Century Skills  North Carolina in the World  Global Literacy for Wisconsin

National Foreign Language Coordination Act of 2009 (S.1010)  Found a National Foreign Language Coordination Council  Implement national security initiatives  Implement language education initiatives.

Wyoming  The state legislation appropriates 5 million dollars in funds to support a 5 year pilot program in foreign languages for grades K-8  Hathaway Scholarships require 2 years of foreign language study

Citations:  ACTFL. (n.d.). Studies supporting increased academic achievement. Retrieved November 30, 2009, from American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages:  Center for International Understanding. (n.d.). North Carolina's Global Education Movement. Retrieved November 30, 2009, from North Carolina in the World:  COMMITTEE FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. (2006, July 2). Education for Global Leadership: Th e Importance of International Studies and Foreign Language Education for U.S. Economic and National Security. Retrieved November 30, 2009, from Committee for Economic Development:

 International Education Council. (2005, February 09). International Education: Recommendations for Global Literacy. Retrieved November 30, 2009, from Wisconsin State Department of Edcuation:  Joint National Committee for Languages and National Council for Languages and International Studies. (n.d.). Welcome. Retrieved November 30, 2009, from JNCL- NCLIS:  National Standards in Foreign Language Education Project. (2006). Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century. Lawrence, KS: Allen Press, Inc.

 The Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (n.d.). Overview. Retrieved November 29, 2009, from The Partnership for 21st Century skills:  Tokuhama-Espinosa, T. (2008). Living Languages. London: Praeger.  Trivedi, B. P. (2002, November 20). Survey Reveals Geographic Illiteracy. Retrieved November 30, 2009, from National Geographic News: 120_021120_GeoRoperSurvey_2.html  Weatherford, J. H. (1986, October 01). Personal Benefits of Foreign Language Study. Retrieved November 30, 2009, from ERIC Digest: