Thread: GA: Perdue proposes killing foreign language program

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/ ... html?imw=Y

Perdue proposes killing foreign language program
Elementary school parents vow to fight
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 01/29/07

Gov. Sonny Perdue is proposing to kill a more than decade-old elementary school foreign language program next year, despite calls by supporters for more language skills in an increasingly global economy.

Mothers with children taking the classes in Japanese, French and other languages say they won't let the program go down without a Capitol fight.

The mothers and supporters of the elementary school foreign language pilot program, which is in about two dozen schools, are organizing to fight Perdue's proposal to cut all $1.6 million in the state budget to fund the classes.

It's a program that has been on the chopping block, off and on, for several years because critics say it only helps children attending the 2 percent of elementary schools that receive foreign language grants.

Supporters of the program say that with the economy becoming more global by the day, and metro Atlanta's international population mushrooming, the state should be looking at ways to provide foreign language classes to all Georgia elementary school children; it shouldn't be cutting what little is available.

"It's amazing we are still having to fight this battle in 2007," said Cathy Flynn, whose third-grade daughter is learning Japanese as part of the program at Roswell's Mimosa Elementary School. "I want my children prepared for the 21st century. I don't want them to be left behind."

Supporters of the program, which was started in 1993, cite statistics that show students who take four years of foreign language in high school perform far above average on the college-entrance SAT. They say foreign language classes help students perform better on other tests, too, in part because learning another language helps develop English-language skills as well.

However, opponents have said the program was a pilot and never was meant to be a permanent fixture in the state budget. A 2003 state report recommended ending the program, saying it was inequitable and that the state never thoroughly evaluated it.

Perdue wants to take the $1.6 million and spread it around to the state's 1,284 elementary schools.

"A pilot program is to try something out and see if it works," said Dan McLagan, the governor's communications director. "I guess we see some value in it and we're taking it statewide."

Under Perdue's plan, that would give each school about $1,200. Corinne Barnes, Douglas County school's foreign language coordinator, said that wouldn't be enough to fund a foreign language program at any school. And she said the money would be spent by school media centers without a mandate to spend it on foreign language materials.

It would cost the state about $85 million to replicate the pilot program at each of Georgia's elementary schools.

House Speaker Glenn Richardson (R-Hiram) has been a supporter of the pilot program in the past. However, Richardson said he's not sure how important it is to teach foreign language in elementary school.

"I had a child that had that, and I don't know it particularly helped him one way or the other," he said. "I would listen to the experts as to why we're doing it.

"I think it's probably more important that we get them to read the English language and do math and social studies."

The pilot program has a strong supporter in House Appropriations Chairman Ben Harbin (R-Evans). Stevens Creek Elementary School in his home county of Columbia, outside Augusta, receives one of the foreign language grants.

"Everything about it has shown if we teach these children a foreign language in their early years, it not only helps them in conversation in that language later on, they are better learners in general," Harbin said. "It is a great program and I still think the answer is not to do away with it but to find a way to get this into other schools."

Harbin all but promised he would work to make sure the program gets funded next year.

"I didn't see this [cut] coming. It's disappointing," he said. "We ought to be making sure this program is something we can do statewide. We ought to be looking to expand it."

added to homepage

http://www.alipac.us/modules.php?name=N ... e&sid=1894

Schools need to get back to the basics......the kids need to learn the 3Rs first. Our public schools are failing miserably at that right now. Then foreign language classes can come after that.........as an option.

Most of these kids can barely speak English.

Let them hire a tutor on their own time. Learning English is very important too.

The majority of Americans, LIVE, WORK AND REMAIN IN THE UNITED STATED OF AMERICA AND NEED TO KNOW HOW TO SPEAK, READ AND WRITE IN ENGLISH!!

Originally Posted by cvangel

Schools need to get back to the basics......the kids need to learn the 3Rs first. Our public schools are failing miserably at that right now. Then foreign language classes can come after that.........as an option.

I agree with you!! would this be Reading ,Riteing and Rithmatic?
And at one time in this country if you wanted to learn a different language you hired a tutor or paid to to go to a college to learn it, expecting the state to pay is pathetic, where does it end!!!!!!We are going broke out here!!

get the illegals out of our over crowded class rooms!!! That we the taxpayer pays for, to educate our KIDS

Get back to basics, and don't for get history so our children don't make the mistakes our congressmen our making by repeating the same ones over and over!!!

Originally Posted by SOSADFORUS

Originally Posted by cvangel

Schools need to get back to the basics......the kids need to learn the 3Rs first. Our public schools are failing miserably at that right now. Then foreign language classes can come after that.........as an option.

I agree with you!! would this be Reading ,Riteing and Rithmatic?

You got it SOSADFORUS! And we should add AMERICAN History to that group.