Foreign Language Education - The Impact of the American Attitude

The author believes that foreign language education §in the United States is impacted by the attitudes of §American citizens. This belief rests on the fact §that foreign language enrollment data have followed §immigration trends. The author wishes to emphasize §that she sees a problem with this relationship; §while the leading immigrant group may be catered to §in many aspects of the American education system, §funding and requirements for diverse foreign §language education may be put aside. As a result, §due to a narrow spectrum of choice, the United §States education system may restrict American §citizens, and consequently the nation, from fully §engaging in today s world. §The need to expand the spectrum of foreign language §instruction has been pointed out by language §professionals during crisis situations; however, §enrollment and requirement data show that the §outcome of such calls for expansion tends to vanish §as time passes. It seems that the only question §remaining is: What is the next historical crisis §that will serve as a basis for recommendation while §education in the leading immigrant group s language §continues to grow?