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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]You think this is a... bad thing for your English-speaking kids?  I've been half-tempted to move to get mine into a dual immersion program.  Learning a language and becoming bilingual is such an amazing life skill!  (And to get to do it in your own neighborhood school rather than being bussed to some far-away immersion program with kids who are scattered all over the place!  And to not have to feel bad about scooping up the bilingual teachers for English-speaking kids but instead knowing Spanish-speaking kids get to benefit too!)[/quote]

My English speaking child can’t read or write on par with MCPS standards. Any second language will just make things worse. [/quote]

This.  My DS is in an immersion program and doing fine.  But learning a 2nd language is not worth it if your kid is struggling in English because the amount of time spend on ELA instruction is significantly less, up to 50% less.
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Learning to read and write is a basic essential[/b].  Learning Spanish is not.  If my kid was struggling in English at all, I would pull him out of immersion.[/quote]

This.  Especially as the translating software gets even better and better.  No way your kid will learn every language out there, and it’s so easy to use Google Translate or Say Hi, that being bilingual will be less of a draw in the coming decades.

However, Learning solid Math and Writing skills (in English) will always be necessary.  [/quote]

I think this attitude about learning  languages other than English is a lot of what gets Americans a bad reputation abroad for being insular and uninterested in other cultures, making an effort when traveling, etc.[/quote]

I’m the PP you are responding to.  I’m actually from another country and can speak 3 languages.  But I recognize that MCPS is doing a crappy job of teaching our kids basic Reading and Writing skills in English.  And, don’t forget about the almost complete lack of Science instruction in ES.  Maybe if MCPS was doing a better job of teaching our kids the basics, they could offer up more language learning options.  That is clearly not the case.

I also recognize that there is no way people can learn every language out there.  And that the language software will get better and better.

Has nothing to do with being insular.  I have family in multiple other countries all over the world, and the stereotype of Americans being insular and uninterested in other cultures are inaccurate and unfair.  [/quote]

I guess I disagree with the premise that foreign language skills aren’t part of the basics.  I didn’t have the opportunity to learn foreign language until 8th grade and although I ultimately learned two, it really hindered me to come at them so late— I’ve never felt fluent in conversation.  I went the academic route so languages were essential research and professional skills that I always felt behind in.  Moreover, although every child is different, research has pretty consistently shown that learning more than one language from an early age enhances a child’s linguistic ability in both languages.  No, you can’t learn every language, but it’s easier to pick up a third language (if desired) later if you have a solid foundation in two already.[/quote]

If a student lacks a solid foundation in core subjects, how important is it that they're fluent or semi-fluent in a foreign language?  
[/quote]

The argument is that the student is more likely to excel in core subjects when foreign language is one of them.[/quote]

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