World Languages

"Learning other languages and understanding the culture of the people who speak them is a 21st Century skill that is vital to success in the global environment in which our students will live and work. In a 2006 report entitled, Education for Global Leadership: The Importance of International Studies and Foreign Languages for U.S. Economic and National Security, the committee for economic development (CED) stated "To confront the 21st century challenges to our economy and national security, our education system must be strengthened to increase the foreign language skills and cultural awareness of our students. America's continued global leadership will depend on our students' abilities to interact with the world community both inside and outside our borders." For college and career readiness, our students need to be proficient in other languages, regardless of whether they choose to transition directly to the workforce or to post-secondary education.

The language teaching community has reached strong consensus regarding the goals of a language program: to develop students’ language proficiency around modes of communicative competence reflecting real life communication. This is reflected in the Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century in the opening statement, “Language and communication are at the heart of the human experience.” The national standards are undergirded by five goals (the 5 Cs) that focus language learning on: Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities" (ACTFL - American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages)

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Click on this link to see a prelude video for our Spring Festival Chinese Gala performed by our Chinese Language Students.