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The Commission on Language Learning
Marty AbbottDan Davidson
JNCL‐NCLISFebruary 25, 2016
Congressional Study Request:
Diplomatic and National Interests?
Productivity of future generations?
Ensure excellence in language and international education and research?
Influence of language learning on economic growth?
CONGRESSIONAL REQUEST- AAAS STUDYGOAL: Achieve a Congressional directive for the American Academy of Arts & Sciences to conduct a report on languages, with a particular focus on the competitiveness of American students.
Congressional Leaders
Senator Brian SchatzDemocrat – Hawaii
Senator Mark KirkRepublican – Illinois
Senator Orrin HatchRepublican – Utah
Senator Tammy BaldwinDemocrat – Wisconsin
CONGRESSIONAL REQUEST- AAAS STUDY
Rep. Leonard LanceRepublican – New Jersey
Rep. David PriceDemocrat – North Carolina
Rep. Don YoungRepublican – Alaska
Rep. Rush D. HoltDemocrat – New Jersey
Congressional LeadersCONGRESSIONAL REQUEST- AAAS STUDY
American Academy of Arts and Sciences & Language
AAAS – founded in 1780 by John Adams and others
Oldest US Academy
2013: The Heart of the Matter – Commission on the Humanities and Social Sciences
o Requested by Congress in 2012
2014: Request from Congress to AAAS to assess the impact of language on the national interest
o First broad based, requested study since 1979 (President’s Commission/Strength Through Wisdom)
American Academy of Arts and Sciences & Language
July 2015: Commission established
New commission will work for a year to assess the impact on language education, global security, economic growth, and social justice
Then spend a second year disseminating information
Commission members• Chair: Dr. Paul LeClerc, former CEO, NYPL and former president, CUNY-Hunter• Members as of 11/5/15 (* denotes a fellow of AAAS):
– Dr. Dan Davidson, President, American Councils for International Education– Ms. Marty Abbott, Executive Director, ACTFL– Dr. Rosemary Feal, Executive Director, MLA– Amb. Karl Eikenberry*, LTG, USA (ret.), Stanford University– Dr. Pauline Yu*, President, American Council of Learned Societies– Dr. Nicholas Dirks*, Chancellor, University of California (Berkeley)– Ms. Jessie Little Doe Baird, Wôpanâak Nation– Dr. Mark Aronoff*, SUNY-Stonybrook, Dept. of Linguistics– Dr. Phil Rubin, Haskins Lab– Dr. Ruben Rumbaut, University of California, Irvine– Hon. Diane Wood*, Chief Judge, US Court of Appeals, 7th Circuit– Dr. Carol Gluck*, Columbia University– Dr. Hunter Rawlings*, American Association of Universities– Amb. Nancy McEldowney, Foreign Service Institute, Department of State– Dr. Marta Tienda*, Princeton University
• https://www.amacad.org/content/Research/researchproject.aspx?i=21896
America’s Languages: Challenges and Promise
Overview paper for the Commission Premise: Many reasons to invest in language learning
Educational & Cognitive benefits from bilingualism Global security Economic growth
Significant challenges: Perceptions among policy makers at all levels that English is enough, that the rest of
the world is learning English, that other subjects (e.g., coding) are more important Perceptions among policy makers that language learning is too hard – can’t be done
Reason for optimism: Outcomes: where we do language well (e.g., Dual Language, Flagships) at the
Advanced threshold for HS graduates and Superior for college graduates Public support – parents want languages for their children to learn languages The employment sector wants “linguistic and cultural human capital”
‐ Richard Brecht, American Councils on International Education
Briefing Paper
The Contribution of Language to the Economic Interests of the US
Language is an important component of the US economy The language industry has annual revenues in the US of at least $15b The language industry provides work for more than 200,000
Americans, at an annual pay averaging $80,000 The public sector – teaching at all levels, US Government linguists –
employs at least another 150,000 Americans
The Language industry is highly tech‐savvy Translation, localization, and globalization depend on technology Language learning makes increasing, innovative use of technology
‐William Rivers, JNCL‐NCLIS
Briefing Paper
The broader employment sector increasingly values “global talent” 11% of US mid‐ and large‐size companies (of which there are
120,000) seek to fill jobs requiring language (Michigan State University Recruiting Trends Survey)
45% of US companies give advantage to candidates with language skills
Language and cultural expertise are equated with flexibility, adaptability, prudent risk‐taking, and interpersonal skills
Global Talent = Language + another skill [teaching, translating, accounting, engineering, etc.)
The Contribution of Language to the Economic Interests of the US, cont.
Foreign Language, Cultural Diplomacy, and Global Security
Language is vital to how the US meets its global responsibilities The Federal Government faces persistent challenges in building and
sustaining the required language capacity Diversity of languages required for Federal Agencies Diversity of agencies & missions Diversity of languages
Historically, responding only to imminent crises (World War II, Sputnik/Cold War, Iranian Revolution, Gulf War)
After 9/11, sustained efforts across the US Government: National Security Language Initiative Defense Language Transformation Roadmap National Language Service Corps The Language Flagship STARTALK
Briefing Paper
‐ Gail McGinn, Former Deputy Under Secretary for Defense
Language and Productivity for All Americans
Bilingualism confers many cognitive and educational benefits No matter how or when acquired Language use is the key factor – the more language the better, higher proficiency
correlates with larger effects Biliteracy matters, especially for educational effects
Educational: Children in dual language programs perform better on standardized tests by 5th
grade (North Carolina, Portland, Oregon) Bilinguals acquire additional languages much faster – 2x as fast if the languages
are related (e.g., French and Spanish); but this holds even for unrelated languages
Cognitive Infants in bilingual households process information more efficiently Bilingual children have better executive control (attention, planning) Bilingualism in adults correlates with a 5‐year delay in the onset of the
symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease
‐ Judith Kroll and Paola Dussias, The Pennsylvania State University
Briefing Paper
Language and the Fulfillment of the Potential of all Americans‐ Terry Wiley, et al, Center for Applied Linguistics
60 million Americans speak a language other than English at home We don’t have enough programs for heritage language speakers to
maintain their home languages English Language Learner programs, required by Federal law as a
matter of civil rights, are also insufficient for the demand Dial Language has emerged in the past ten years as the most effective ELL program But teacher shortages and funding shortages limit the capacity
Civil Rights regulations ensure access to social services for those who can’t speak English Capacity has not grown as fast as the demand, especially in languages of lesser
diffusion Discrimination persists, especially in the workplace
Briefing Paper
Next steps for the Commission
1st meeting: December, 15: 2015: Cambridge, MA
2nd Feb. 29 in New York 3rd tentatively set for June
Three Public
Meetings
Three Public
Meetings
•Testimony (invited)•Written input•Public comments
Public input Public input
Briefing PapersBriefing Papers
Report to Congress, Fall 2016
Report to Congress, Fall 2016
2016‐2017: Dissemination of Report
2016‐2017: Dissemination of Report
Language Commission Roundtable:Notes from 2015 Language Advocacy Days as they relate to AAAS Commission briefing papers; to be used in framing 2016 AAAS discussion
If language learning can save money, they will prioritize it BWhat are we losing by not starting young? K
We need rigorous baseline K—12 and Higher Ed data (MLA) REnrollments in higher ed are down, even in Spanish – seems to be no correlation between this drop and the drop in overall higher ed enrollment
GC
We need comprehensive, baselines to prove the strategies that we are recommending
B, M, R
We have to collect the data in the first place GCWe need to know how to interpret the data we have GCWhen we look at data, are we controlling for gender? GCWe have lots of data, why is our data ignored? B, R, K,
M, WThe data we have now, compared to 10‐15 years ago, is more systematic, more in depth, more rigorous
K, R, W
Access to language WInclude this in the data collection – students in non‐affluent areas W, KHow can language programs support things beyond language learning (cognitive process, math/reading)
K
KEYB = BrechtR = RiversM = McGinn K = KrollW = WileyGeneral Comment = GC
Students need to know what they can do with language R, M
USG hires a lot of people with language – student M
Students need to understand how the USG hires people with language skills
M
LEP and dual‐language immersion K, B
Student actually reaching proficiency – many students study, but very few achieve proficiency
B
Almost none of Americans who are proficient in a language learned their language in a classroom
B
Language learning and how that relates to third‐language acquisition
K
Are we able to start reaching language earlier? K, B
Do we have time in the curriculum? GC
Teacher shortages – TEACHING CAPACITY! B
Teacher training – how are teachers certified? Is there any other pathway besides colleges of education?
Each state has alternate routes to certification
There aren’t enough students signing up to be teachers
Recruitment efforts will be addressed
Second‐language teachers are sometimes now allowed to teach in bilingual school because they are not native speakers
GC
KEYB = BrechtR = RiversM = McGinn K = KrollW = WileyGeneral Comment = GC
Language is now in competition with STEM and other disciplines RT&I industry and other industries need qualified candidates R
We need to articulate how much capacity we need to build to meet the demand for which we have valid predictions
R
USG and industry don’t know what they need in terms of capacity R, M
Community Colleges! B4‐year colleges are seeing shrinking enrollments while community colleges see increasing enrollments
B
Commission report needs history B, M, WProficiency guidelines came out of the Perkins Commission GC
One of the underlying problems here is lack of respect for language acquisition and the language profession
B, R, M
Language is not a core subject BThe profession has changed (methodology, technology), but the attitudes of the public have not
B
Lead with Languages is designed to change the public conversation
B
A lot of our leaders and policy makers were not exposed to proficiency based teaching methods, so they don’t know what the power and possibility of language learning is
B
ACCOUNTABILITY BAccrediting of modern language programs B
KEYB = BrechtR = RiversM = McGinn K = KrollW = WileyGeneral Comment = GC
ACCESS is another critical word here WThis industry is female dominated GC
Are we having this conversation because this industry is predominantly female?
GC
We need to see this addressed in the data first, and it shouldn’t be overlooked
Can be part of recruitment effort
LANGUAGE & TECHNOLOGY BLanguage teaching of the future B
Technology and human involvement should be integrated in teaching
B
Training and integration for technology in teaching BDanger of having facile recommendations come out of the commission because we are unable to articulate the role of technology
B
There is a research agenda for this that remains to be pursued; there are areas where we need to learn more
B, K, R
KEYB = BrechtR = RiversM = McGinn K = KrollW = WileyGeneral Comment = GC
HERITAGE LANGUAGES B, WBilingual education is elite in places where it is not essential due to bilingual populations
W
Seal of Biliteracy speaks directly to valuing heritage language skills
B, W
In ELL we only test English, and not the native language students are coming from
W
Many bilingual programs are designed in a subtractive way to get students into English instead building English skills while maintaining native language skills
W
We have a terminology problem with “bilingual education” and “dual‐language immersion” and as public awareness campaigns expand, this needs to be resolved for messaging purposes
W
We don’t have parallel university level majors and programs that address the specific needs of language learners
Restructuring effort in postsecondary
We don’t have the data because heritage languages are not tested
GC
Not all heritage speakers are alike W
KEYB = BrechtR = RiversM = McGinn K = KrollW = WileyGeneral Comment = GC
Native American languages must be considered as well WTesting can be problematic here because Indian tribes are sovereign nations and are not going to test and measure the same way that we might
W
We are trying to change the rhetoric and talk about “Americas Languages” as a catch‐all, to minimize the distinction between native languages, foreign languages, heritage languages
W
LANGUAGE LEARNING ‐What age? Methods? Articulation? KLanguage is for everyone – it’s great to start young, but others shouldn’t be excluded from access
B
While maintaining access at higher levels, we really need to build out the lower levels
B
Higher Ed needs a lot of attention BMethodology needs to catch up with K‐12 methods (technology, communicative classes, etc…) – students come from these interactive, communicative k‐12 classes, and drop off in Higher Ed because they don’t know how to take tests or learn from outdated methods in college classes
B
Articulation from high school into college BAre enrollments in 101 and 201 dropping because students don’t need them and are going into 300 and 400 level language classes?
B
What kind of preparation in language classes is necessary to set students up to develop the skills needed for the careers in which they will use their language?
R, M
KEYB = BrechtR = RiversM = McGinn K = KrollW = WileyGeneral Comment = GC
WHAT ARE THE OBJECTIVES OF LEAD WITH LANGUAGES?
Increase enrollment and language options in world language programs at all grade levels
Strengthen and expand language programs and their funding
Engage leaders from business, education, government and other stakeholders
Build awareness among heritage populations
Former Mayor of Philadelphia
