August 11, 2003
Dear Sir or Madam:
I am writing on behalf of the 8,000 members of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), to indicate our strong support for the resolution proposed by the Minnesota World Languages New Visions initiative.
As we move further into the 21st Century, it has become clearly evident that knowledge of the other peoples in our global society is critical for the daily working life of all Americans. We also know that learning the languages and cultures of people worldwide contributes greatly to this understanding. All children in America must have the opportunity to develop this international perspective through the study of languages in addition to English and through learning about the cultures of these people.
The No Child Left Behind legislation offers us an opportunity to bring the study of languages into the core curriculum in schools across this nation. Students acquire important cognitive benefits from having the experience of learning a language other than their own. The United States is the only industrialized country that routinely graduates students from high school with no knowledge of a second language. As a nation, we must be committed to providing language instruction to all children from an early age through to graduation.
I urge you to consider moving language learning into a top priority for the schools of Minnesota. In doing so, you will be providing Minnesota’s future citizenry with the world class education they will need to be productive members of our ever increasing international community. They will be positioned to better serve Minnesota’s business and industry and to function as members of our global society. The children of Minnesota deserve the opportunity to experience a well-rounded curriculum in school, one that includes foreign languages.
Sincerely,
Martha G. Abbott
President