Testimony on House Education Bills
January 26, 2006

Email and letters sent to members of the House Education Committee.


Michele Anciaux Aoki, Ph.D., International Communications Consultant

January 21, 2006

Dear Rep. Hunter,

I was just informed about your new bill HB 2706. Our International Education Coalition has been keeping an eye on legislation that promotes our goal of preparing all students for today's interconnected world. We are strong supporters of a rigorous high school program and offering all students the opportunity to meet college admissions requirements during their high school career.

That's why we're puzzled.

While the new "recommended" graduation requirements (NEW SECTION 4) specifically increase the credits for English, Math, Science, and Social Studies (as well as .5 credit in technology and 4 credits in an academic or career and technical concentration), they mention nothing about the study of World Languages. As you probably know, there is a college admissions requirement for World Languages in 4-year colleges in Washington. To begin to align high school graduation requirements and college admissions requirements, shouldn't two years of a World Language (or equivalent proficiency) be included in the list of "recommended" graduation requirements?

I'm hoping that leaving out World Languages was simply an oversight. Surely, all of you who signed on to the bill can't be advocating dropping World Languages as a college admissions requirement. (That happened in the 1970's and it was disastrous!  I was teaching Russian at the UW at the time, and you can't imagine how sad it was to encounter students in the early 1980's who were studying their first World Language in college. They were at a great disadvantage because they had never learned how to learn a language.)

Thank you!

Michele Anciaux Aoki

 


Bridget Yaden, President of Washington Association for Language Teaching

January 25, 2006

To:  The House Education Committee

Re:  Importance of World Languages in HB 2706

I write this letter of initial support for HB 2706, which proposes a more rigorous high school program for high school students who plan to continue their studies in a college or university.  I am a parent of two children in the Tacoma Public Schools system and also an educator in higher education, and welcome a stronger high school curriculum for our students.

I feel that the bill would not be complete, however, without more explicit reference to world languages.  It is wonderful that the bill recommends allowing ASL and American Indian Languages to count for the understood language requirement, because these languages are linguistically and culturally as rich as the more commonly taught “foreign” languages.  However, I believe the bill must be strengthened and I would give it my full support if the understood language requirement were stated directly.  I suggest that something along the lines of the following be added to the section on recommended requirements:

(g) At least two credits (or equivalent proficiency) in a language other than English.

As our world becomes virtually smaller and flatter, the study of other languages and their cultures is crucial in the United States.  Thank you for considering this addition.

Sincerely,

Bridget E. Yaden, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Spanish
President, Washington Association for Language Teaching


Katy Armagost, College in the High School

My name is Katy Armagost . I’d like to give you a very brief idea of my background so you have a context for my comments on the bills before you. I’m a recently retired World Languages teacher here in Mount Vernon. In fact, I had the pleasure of teaching with Dave Quall when I first arrived here in 1990. Now, I work as the University of Washington’s liaison for all the state’s high school Spanish classes in the UW’s college in the high schools program. But my most important role is as a concerned citizen, parent and grandparent and those roles are what led me to come out today to talk to you.
First, I want to thank you for making this teleconferencing opportunity available to those of us who live too far from the capitol to come in person. I really appreciate the committee actively searching out public opinion in this way. It definitely gave me courage to approach you with my concerns.

Last Tuesday, at the OSPI High School Summit, I learned a great deal about the pro-active planning we’re doing as a state to prepare all kids to graduate with something meaningful and enduring instead of just with a piece of paper called a diploma. I heartily endorse the WASL. Like many others, I think it does need some tinkering, but the idea is sound and from what I can see, it’s being implemented with care and intelligence. Kids have not had to take it seriously until now, so they haven’t. They WILL be able to meet the standards set by the WASL, but as long as they think a knight on a white horse will arrive at the 11th hour to save them, they won’t give it the effort they need to succeed. I have seen this over and over again in the classroom.

As a concerned citizen, truly worried about our educational slippage, I want to ask you to hold the line. My initial reading of the 5 bills under consideration makes me think that only two of them are heading in the right direction: HB 2902 and HB 2998 both address the need to provide alternative assessments, which is a valid concern. I don’t think academic record (HB 2923) is a good idea because it doesn’t measure actual learning. In some classrooms, as you know, it’s possible to get high grades by just sitting in a seat and completing low level tasks and I don’t think that’s what we’re after.

The two bills extending the deadline are both knights on white horses. If we truly need some ‘play’ in the effective dates of the WASL as a graduation requirement, I would be supportive of enacting legislation that doesn’t extend past 2010. After all, we have already had a very long preparation period and many years of piloting the WASL’s various subject area tests so I’m worried we’ll do more harm than good by passing HB 2764 or HB 2941 in their current forms.

But there is a loose end that could unravel the whole school improvement effort and absolutely has to be addressed. According to remarks by Terri Bergeson at the High School Summit, an unwanted consequence of taking the WASL seriously is that many districts around the state are directing such a large amount of resources toward the needs of the at-risk WASL students that the programs serving the rest of the student body and the economic needs of the state of Washington are in danger of being dismantled.

Like thousands of parents and business people across our state, I am particularly concerned about opportunities for the study of World Languages. At the summit, I heard repeated references to the need for a global outlook for our graduates. In the last few weeks, the federal government has begun pushing for more world language study. The importance of intercultural awareness to the business community in Washington state can’t be ignored. But why is the study of world languages, which teaches cultural skills like no other area, rarely directly addressed in the work of the education committee? I totally support the need to focus on helping our kids get competent in English. In fact, that was one of the chief reasons I became a world language teacher, because I loved English. A shamefully underreported fact is that learning a second language and especially starting at a young age, provides the contrast the human brain needs to fully understand Language, with a capital L. This foundation makes direct and powerful contributions to almost every one of the language skills required by the Communications portion of the WASL. And it’s a tool that can be used by every learner, not just the college-bound. As a constituent, I respectfully request that this committee give a serious look at how direct support to the study of World Languages can contribute to the success of our students on the WASL. Thank you for hearing me today.
 


Lynn Klausenburger, UW College in the High School

Dear Rep. McIntire,

I am a member of your district and am writing to thank you for sponsoring HS 2706 (A more rigorous curriculum for high school graduation). I worked in education my entire life until I retired last July 1, as a teacher of French language and as director of the UW in the High School Program. I firmly believe students will rise to expectations and that they are all capable of more than is currently demanded of them for high school graduation. I am very concerned, however, that the area of world or foreign languages is not mentioned in your bill and urge you to see that language including this subject area is included in current and future editions of the act.

I am old enough to remember Sputnik and the National Defense Education Act which set up intensive summer institutes for language study and spurred intense interest in Russian. In subsequent decades language study fell off the radar screen. It always seems to take some crisis for us to realize the value of a study that is an integral part of the curriculum of other nations for students at all levels and of all abilities. We seem to be in such a crisis mode again, precipitated this time by violent attacks on the nation. We should use this moment to establish, once and for all, languages as an enduring part of the curriculum so that we are not unprepared for the necessity to deal carefully with cultures and languages very different from our own and, of course, for a global economy and a changing citizenry.

It is clear that knowledge of another language is a distinct asset in today's job market--and that includes jobs from McDonald's to banking. It is equally clear that such knowledge actually helps our national security. Students of languages acquire an inkling of what the immigrant experience is like and become more accepting of diversity in their civic life. Learning another language requires a diversity of skills, including analysis, which is very helpful in other areas of the curriculum. Modern teaching methods made language study accessible and attractive to a wide variety of students. For all these reasons, it should not be left out of any curriculum that aspires to rigor or value to society.

My children are grown and working, I am retired--i.e., I have no self interest in promoting language study--just my experience and conviction that this is an essential skill for students in this century.

Thank you for "listening."

*********************************************************
* Lynn Klausenburger, Ph.D. *

 



Bill Center, President, Washington Council on International Trade

Excerpt from keynote address to the Pacific Northwest Association of Independent Schools "All Schools Conference," Oct 8, 2004.
Used with permission.

From my vantage point, this next century is going to put a premium on three specific life skills, communication, conceptual ability and cooperation.

You might choose to quibble with me over whether these particular attributes are “skills” or “character traits” … and you may even be skeptical about the degree to which they can be taught and learned.

I’m firmly convinced these are vital skills that we can teach our students.

We put a lot of time and effort into teaching communication skills. But I believe there are two particular aspects of communication that need more work.

The first is “language.” As educators, many of us believe that mastering a second language is a mark of academic distinction, one important component in a truly well rounded education, perhaps even something that should be part of the basic curriculum.

We know that the best time to start learning a second language is early in life. We know that learning a second language enhances the learning ability of most students … that learning a language is really an important form of “learning how to learn.”

We also know that in the U.S. the option of a second language is not widely available at the elementary level, and where it is, the choice of language is limited.

English will continue to be an important – even dominant language – in the years ahead. But most of our fellow humans will continue to be non-English speakers.

Our ability to communicate effectively is directly related to our ability to speak the language.

If you can speak the language you’ll likely get better service, better food, a better hotel room, a better deal and you’ll be more likely to be able to talk your way out of trouble or potential misunderstandings. It’s a matter of basic communication. People can’t help you or give you what you want if they can’t understand you. Or – importantly – it’s hard to help others if YOU can’t understand THEM!

So, in order to help our students communicate in the world of 2050, which languages should we be teaching them?

What language is spoken in China? That’s right … the official language is Mandarin Chinese, already spoken by more than 1.3 billion people. China is a surprisingly homogeneous nation. More than 93% of the population is Han Chinese. Even so, China officially recognizes 55 minority nationalities and 200 different languages.

How ‘bout India? Who can tell me the language of India?

The official languages of the Republic of India are – in alphabetical order – Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Panjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu. And – oh, by the way – they also have one “associate official language” … English. There are still more than 800 different languages in daily use in India. Are any of them offered at your school?

We’ll come back to the third largest nation – the USA – in a few moments.

The language of Indonesia interestingly enough is Indonesian and the literacy rate in Indonesia is over 80%. Even so, more than 700 different languages survive in that nation of many islands.

The official languages of Nigeria – in order of prevalence – are Edo, Efik, Adamawa, Fulfulde, Hausa, Idoma, Igobo, Yerwa Kanuri, Yoruba, and English. The literacy rate is around 50% and there are still about 500 different languages in daily use.

Many people are surprised to learn that the United States has no official language. As both a world leader and a major English-speaking country, many people assume that English is our official language. Some are dismayed to learn that is not the case and have launched efforts over the years to make it so. A constitutional amendment to that effect is proposed during almost every session of Congress. From my vantage point, this would NOT be helpful.

As you know very well … many Americans are already mastering a second language … and that language is English. Currently the largest minority population in the U.S. speaks Spanish.

We need a dramatic increase in early second language education in our nation’s schools … and we should be giving a lot of careful thought to which languages we make available?

If you can’t speak or understand the language … it’s really difficult to communicate!

The second – and most important – aspect of “communication” I want to emphasize today is understanding … as in comprehension.

We’re really good at explaining things. We spend a lot of time teaching our students to express themselves clearly and well … both orally and in writing. We don’t often focus equal attention on the importance of understanding the ideas of others and developing the ability to do that.

As Vaclav Havel, then President of Czechoslovakia, told the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in 1992, if anything, “we must try harder to understand than to explain.”

Those are words to write on your heart.

How well do the Israelis understand what the Palestinians are trying to tell them? How well do the Palestinians understand the Israelis?

Interestingly … we act as if we understand them both, and we’re quick to offer our simple solutions to this terrible conflict. If only the Israelis would do thus …

If only Arafat …

If only the U.S. …

The heartbreaking truth is few people are really taking the time or making the effort to truly understand what any party to this enduring tragedy is actually trying to say.

We’ve got to fix that. And our classrooms are a great place to start.
 

Washington State Coalition for International Education
http://internationaledwa.org/