Why Language Learning

Learning a foreign language helps students in their overall cognitive development, as well as broadens their opportunities in higher education and the global workforce.

Numerous studies and reports have shown that learning another language helps students improve their academic success, creative thinking, as well as cognitive abilities such as problem solving, memory and reading. In addition, students who begin learning languages at a young age, such as in elementary school, have a higher chance of attaining near-native and even complete native fluency.

In today's world, opportunities in higher education and the global marketplace are increasingly requiring multilingual skills. According to the U.S. Committee on Economic Development, the U.S. will "need employees with knowledge of foreign languages and cultures to market products to customers around the globe and to work effectively with foreign employees and partners in other countries." According to the statistics, however, the U.S. educational system lags far behind in preparing its students to meet these needs:

  • 21 of the top 25 industrialized countries begin the study of world languages in grades K-5. The majority of U.S. students begin studying a second language at age 14.
  • 80% of students in Europe speak at least two languages.
  • Of the over 55 million students in U.S. public schools, only 50,000 students study Chinese Mandarin - a language spoken by over 1 billion people.
  • Only 14% of U.S. students consider themselves bilingual.

Though many U.S. schoolchildren have an opportunity to learn a foreign language in elementary school, not all American students do. In New York State specifically, 97% of public elementary schools do not or cannot afford to provide courses for languages other than English. Most of these schools are located in underserved communities, and therefore schoolchildren in these communities are excluded from the cognitive and competitive benefits that learning a foreign language offers.

Global Language Project wants to change that.