Georgia (the state) May Cut Elementary School Foreign Language Programs

Language classes may be cut at schools
Perdue wants to kill pilot program at elementaries, split up funds; backers vow to fight

By James Salzer
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, a number of which are in the metro area, 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. .....(more)

The rest of the article is at: http://www.ajc.com/search/content/metro/stories/2007/01/29/metlegforeign0129a.html

Might as well finish off the rest of the curriculum.

:) Hey Old Crusoe! :hi:

Nice to see you tonight on these boards.

I hope all's well your way.

but otherwise, it's all good.

be dead!
_______

Glad to hear things are good. Stay warm.

completely support teaching foreign languages in elementary school. It isfar easier for kids to learn a foreign language than it is for an adult, and the younger they are the better!

I think all American elementary schools should at the very least OFFERseveral foreign language classes. It's a sad story that people in Europe, including kids, almost all speak more than one language, and very few Americans do.

It's about time WE changed!

and learning Spanish very rapidy...which I support, as does their mother who is helping the learning process along.

I had foreign language classes(Spanish) from first grade in a Catholic elementary school. I did not think that I had learned anything unitl I moved to a spanish speaking country in 7th grade. The teacher there asked me if I knew anything and I said no, then repeated all the verb conjugations I had learned and responded to her questions in Spanish. SHe was amazed at how advanced my SPanish was and I thought I had not learned anything. Today I live/work in Latin America, largely due to my ability to speak spanish. It is an opportunity that should not be denied to young kids and when they are young such as was my case they fdo not even realize they are learning, but obsorb so much. It is incredibley foolish for any Gov. school to not teach this subject to children.

Do they expect them to find work in the real world, talking like Boomhauer?

it's good enough for my kid.