Charter school of 11,000 students drops foreign language

[eridani]

—what they offer instead may stun many

http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/2/10/1483022/-Charter-school-of-11-000-students-drops-foreign-languages-what-they-offer-instead-will-stun-many

The academy’s not-so-popular CEO and founder Eva Moskowitz spoke at a forum with right-wing conservative think tank American Enterprise Institute back in December of 2014. During an interview, Moskowitz discussed how hard it had been to maneuver her school’s curriculum.

”Something had to go,” Moskowitz said. Turns out that “something” was foreign language classes.

”We can’t do everything... And by the way, Americans don’t tend to do foreign languages very well.”

So, we don’t do languages very well? Could that be, perhaps, because some schools have opted to delete foreign language classes and offer Chess? Such is the case with Moskowitz and her Success Academy network. Don’t get me wrong. Chess is a fine game. And no school can do everything, but I’d bet even Chess players would agree that knowledge of the game on a résumé is not going to land them their next big job. On the other hand, many employers see a foreign language background as a plus. Given the Hispanic/Latino growth in America today, high school and college graduates who can speak Spanish as a second language have a substantial advantage over others jumping into the job market.

[exboyfil]

1. A high school foreign language is a minimum requirement

for many college degrees. If you don't take it in high school, you are looking at an extra two semesters in college if you are in a degree program like engineering because it is so packed already in four years. That is some serious cash (to the tune of an extra $20K) as well as deferring employment for another year (another $40-$80K before taxes impact).

[Travis_0004]

2. Ive never heard of a college looking at high school transcripts to exempt you from classes

If its a college requirement its often possible to test out of it, but in my experience inless you are fluent in that language that is not happening.

[gilpo]

3. Most colleges take AP classes and apply the credit

My daughter will be going to college with a bunch of prerequisites taken care of in high school. I believe it's jus the Ivys that won't apply the credits.

[longship]

4. In my high school, language was required in college prep.

But, then again, I graduated in 1966.

We had French, Spanish, and Latin. You could tell who might go into medicine. They took Latin.

I am horrible at foreign language. And I tried three of them: French, Spanish, and Russian, the latter two at university. Nevertheless, I graduated with honors in physics. I am much better at mathematics, I guess.

Nevertheless, this school's policy is utter madness.

R&K

[elleng]

5. Ditto, for high school graduation in '62.

Took French, and then more in college, and have always valued it, as a tool and for fun.