image: The University of Maryland the the Maryland State Department of Education co-directed the study. view more
Credit: MSDE
College Park, Md. – A state task force co-directed by the University of Maryland and the State Department of Education concludes in a new report that the state is "uniquely positioned" to help meet national foreign language needs by tapping its abundant pool of well-educated, bilingual speakers.
The Task Force on the Preservation of Heritage Language Skills, created by the Maryland General Assembly, is the first state-sponsored effort of its kind in the nation.
It recommends a series of steps to harness the bilingual abilities of first, second and third generation Americans that thrive at home or in community settings to recruit teachers and translators. A population strong in both English and other languages is essential for the nation's security and commerce, it says.
Maryland ranks third among the states for the proportion of foreign-born population with college degrees, the task force reports. The main foreign languages spoken in the state are Spanish, French, Chinese, Korean, Tagalog, German, Russian, Vietnamese and Hindi. About one-third of Maryland's heritage speakers use Spanish.
"Heritage speakers are the key to catching up with the rest of the world," says task force chair Catherine Ingold, who directs the University of Maryland's National Foreign Language Center. "These heritage speakers are the main reservoir from which we can recruit teachers and translators with adequate skills in the critical foreign languages so desperately needed by government and business. This affects our military, homeland security, trade, and national competitiveness. Without an active effort to preserve these skills, they usually disappear within a generation." http://www.nflc.org/about_us/people/executive_committee/c_ingold/
The report recommends no-cost/low-cost state action to help existing community efforts prevent these skills from withering away as immigrants age and families assimilate.
"Our rapidly changing world has placed a special focus on the importance of language," said State Superintendent of Schools Nancy S. Grasmick. "The Maryland State Department of Education is poised to collaborate with our school systems to implement ideas that utilize existing programs and resources to expand world language options for our students." http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/divisions/superintendent/SuptBio.htm
"In a globalized world, America is economically stronger and more secure when more of our citizens can talk and listen in languages in addition to English," adds task force member Sen. Jim Rosapepe (D-College Park). http://www.msa.md.gov/msa/mdmanual/05sen/html/msa12300.html
Rosapepe and Del. Joseline Peña-Melnyk (D-College Park) sponsored the legislation creating the task force, and Gov. Martin O'Malley signed the measure in 2008. The University's National Foreign Language Center and the Maryland State Department of Education coordinated the task force's work and sent the Governor its report earlier this year.
FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS
1. Given the state's demographic profile and proximity to the nation's capital, Maryland is uniquely positioned to take a leadership role in supporting the language needs of government and industry by developing its community-based skills.
"We spoke to businesses, federal agencies and community groups, and heard loud and clear that the unmet need for bilingual speakers harms the nation in its security and business competitiveness," says task force member Del. Joseline Peña-Melnyk (D-College Park). "In a number of cases, religious and community organizations are already doing some of this language preservation work. As a start, we should do everything that's feasible to coordinate and make the most of these existing efforts." http://www.msa.md.gov/msa/mdmanual/06hse/html/msa14629.html
2. In surveys with hundreds of Maryland's cultural heritage speakers and organizations, the task force found a deep commitment to preserve their cultures and languages. For example, task force members learned from private organizations about their programs to teach Chinese, Tamil, Korean and Bengali.
"There's a sense of urgency in heritage communities because they understand how fragile language skills are – especially among their children," says Ingold, the task force chair. "As a result, these community-based groups are highly motivated, often quite skilled and have made significant beginnings."
3. The business sector considers foreign language skills a "valuable asset," but offers little formal training. Also, the task force reported a "strong correlation between many of Maryland's heritage languages and the countries engaged in trade with the State," emphasizing the commercial benefits of heritage language preservation.
4. Federal agencies charged with national security noted a need for specific language skills: Arabic, Pashtu, Russian, Chinese, French, Urdu, Korean, Japanese, Indic, Iranian, and several African languages – areas of strength for Maryland heritage speakers.
TASK FORCE RECOMMENDATIONS
"Heritage speakers are a very large and diverse group in Maryland representing more than 140 languages, and many are extremely well-educated – they have valuable skills to offer that we ought to use and protect," says Sen. Rosapepe. "The main challenges we face in assuring that Maryland benefits from these skills are leadership, coordination, and innovation – not taxpayer dollars. We need to make better use of existing resources."
1. Award high school credit by exam. Maryland school districts have authority to award high school credit for foreign language proficiency gained outside school, but demonstrated through testing. Credit by exam would encourage participation in non-public heritage language programs, the report concludes. This is likely to save taxpayer money, Rosapepe says.
2. Advanced English classes for adults. The task force notes the high number of highly educated heritage speakers who need advanced English proficiency training, though most classes only teach basic literacy. Greater availability of advanced classes would improve Maryland workforce competitiveness, the report says.
3. Increase dual immersion programs in Maryland public schools. Maryland has a few intensive dual immersion programs that concentrate on both English and heritage language proficiency. Research demonstrates their effectiveness, the report says, and recommends increasing the number in the state to 10 by 2012, within existing resources.
4. Expand teacher certification. A shortage of certified language teachers is a main obstacle to the acquisition of critical foreign languages. While Maryland has taken steps to expand options for teacher certification, the report calls for further progress.
Other recommendations include helping community organizations find space for language classes, listing Maryland employment opportunities for heritage speakers, expanding library collections of children's heritage language books, and developing a long-term strategic plan to meet Maryland's language needs.
COPY OF THE FULL REPORT
The full report is available online: http://www.newsdesk.umd.edu/pdf/heritagereport.pdf
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Neil Tickner
Media Relations, University of Maryland
301-405-4622
301-257-0073 (after-hours)
ntickner@umd.edu
William Reinhard
Media Relations, Maryland State Department of Education
410-767-0486
wreinhard@msde.state.md.us
Catherine Ingold
Task Force Chair/ Director, UM National Foreign Language Center
301-405-9844
cwingold@nflc.org
Maryland Senator Jim Rosapepe
202-271-5545
Maryland Delegate Joseline Peña-Melnyk
301-858-3502