Foreign+Language+Education

= Democracy and Active Citizenship Project =

= __//** Problem Statement **//__ = Public schools should start foreign language programs in schools as early as elementary school to help students become proficient and fluent in other languages. Over the years, the schools have pushed back the start time for foreign language classes even further back than they have been before. If this problem is not addressed and reversed, students will have a more and more difficult time learning new languages, which affects grades in school and foreign relations later in life. We will create language programs for elementary and middle schools to incorporate the language and begin basic learning as soon as possible in life.

=__//**Bill**//__= = ** North Kingstown School Committee **  =

** Committee: Principal Author: Katie Lysik ** ** Title of Policy: Foreign Language Education Act **

BE IT ENACTED BY THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE

__Preamble__: Whereas language programs in North Kingstown school district do not begin until eighth grade, and since students learn more affectively when they are younger, and since being fluent in languages leads to a better understanding of the class in school and later in life, and since colleges and jobs want to see a higher comprehension of foreign languages, and since foreign language courses are not federal or state mandated and the North Kingstown school district has begun pushing the designated start time to later grades versus starting earlier, SECTION 1: Let the language courses stand as is, beginning with serious study in eighth grade and continuing on through high school, in areas of French, Spanish, German, and Portuguese, and each year progressing to a higher course level in that language of study, granted that the student receive a passing grade. SECTION 2: Let there be a program enacted in North Kingstown elementary schools, in which students will receive an hour instruction per weekly in a world language course, where they would learn the rudimentary skills of multiple languages. Sub-SECTION A: Hire two world-language teachers for the entire district, and they can spend a different day of the week in each school, as follows: Monday at Susan M. Henseler Quidnessett Elementary school, Tuesday at Stony Lane Elementary School, Wednesday at Forest Park Elementary School, Thursday at Hamilton Elementary School, and Friday at Fishing Cove Elementary School, and each hour of the day in a different grade at that school, beginning with first grade after school starts in the morning, and ending with fifth grade at the end of the day, allowing for lunch and recess. SECTION 3: Let a language program be instated at Wickford Middle School and Davisville Middle School, in which instead of a keyboarding program in sixth and seventh grade, that quarter of time will be dedicated to learning either French or Spanish. Once the students are in eighth grade, they would begin the full-year course as they would now, and in replace of their quarterly language course they took in the two previous years, they would at that point begin a keyboarding class. SECTION 4: This policy shall go into effect on the first day of school in 2011 after passage.

=__// Direct Action Planning //__= · The goal is to raise awareness about language education and begin foreign language classes in elementary schools instead of late middle school and high school. · The plan for the event is a rally outside the next school committee meeting for parents, students, teachers, and anyone else concerned by the lack of foreign education in elementary schools. There will be speeches, especially by bilingual students and adults, to magnify the difference between bilingual and unilingual kids and the importance of educating students. · This rally will be held during a school committee meeting that will have a high attendance rate for the maximum possible observation by the committee and uninformed citizens.

__//**PRESS RELEASE**//__

For Immediate Release Contact: Katie Lysik January 6, 2011 Cell: 401-439-3957 Give Them a Borderless World; Give Them Language ** Students around the world are becoming bilingual younger and younger, but American students are falling farther behind. **

North Kingstown, RI –On January 10th, North Kingstown students, parents, teachers, and concerned citizens are meeting outside of the school committee meeting to rally for the addition of foreign education in elementary schools and middle schools in the town.

“Foreign education is an important part of a student’s diverse education,” says Brenton Bauerle, a student at North Kingstown High, who has been taking a Spanish class for three years. “If you start at twelve or thirteen, it is really almost too late.”

The planners of the event hope to influence the school committee members into adding language programs to the elementary and schools, instead of students beginning language studies in eighth or ninth grade. As students get older, foreign language concepts become more and more difficult to comprehend to the extent that a child with a less developed and more susceptible brain could.

The rally will be held at 44 Beach Street in North Kingstown, the address of the school committee meeting. Parents, students, and teachers will speak about why they believe that adding language programs is necessary. Anyone who wants to speak should sign up with the rally leaders, who will be greeting people as they arrive.

Katie Lysik, a junior at North Kingstown High, is planning and organizing this event. She believes that adding a program such as this will influence student’s lives for the better. ###

__//** Letter to elected official **//__ Katherine Lysik 196 Crestfield Lane North Kingstown, RI 02852 (401) 886-4647

Dear Superintendant Thornton,

I am writing you as a constituent and a student in my junior year of high school. I would like to invite you to our Dialogues in Democracy night at the high school on January 12, from seven to eight in the evening, in the high school cafeteria, in support of my project on the foreign language curriculum in the school district. I believe that while the foreign language courses in the district are exemplary, I also believe they do not go far enough. It is my personal belief that foreign language education should start in first grade, so that children have a chance to be fully absorbed and begin learning a difficult concept at a time in their life when they are most susceptible to the information. Many kids grow up and complete their two years of required language curriculum, and move on with their life, letting language fall by the wayside. Without guidance that lasts the length of an educational career, difficulties in languages are encountered, suffered through, ignored, and will ultimately hurt the chances of getting into colleges looking for a high level of language. A lack of knowledge in foreign language can also hurt a student’s chances at finding a job, and working in foreign relations. My project brings light to this subject and proposes solutions to incorporate foreign language courses in the North Kingstown School District. Your attendance to our Dialogues in Democracy night in support of my project would be greatly appreciated, and your support in what I am proposing to do would affect many students’ lives. Thank you for your time, and I very much hope to see you there.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Sincerely,

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Katherine Lysik =

= = ** //Lobbying Plan// ** =

Foreign Language programs should be instituted in elementary and middle schools so that students have a chance to learn the language while their minds are most susceptible, instead of starting in 8th or 9th grade.

** Timeline: ** It will be sent to Dr. Phil Thorton by January 1st Speak to him whenever he’s available to speak to me Follow up face to face, or speaking on phone.

** Find a sponsor (State Rep, Town Council, School Committee): ** I will ask school committee members to support my plan and vote for it to pass in time for the next school year.

** Build coalitions of support: **

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">ACTFL (American Concil on Teaching Foreign Language) <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">AATSP (Am. Assoc. of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese)

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">RIFLA (RI Foreign Lang. Association). ** Try to work with your opposition: ** T ax-payer groups would be against this plan, same as tax-payers who do not have students in the high school.

To work with them, hire the fewest teachers possible. Only four are necessary to cover all seven schools, and this cuts costs more than it would to hire seven teachers.

** Plan for attending committee meetings: ** I’ll provide testimonies of students and teachers who believe foreign language education is an important subject for elementary and middle schools.

There will be signs made for attendees of the meeting

__//**PUBLICE SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT**//__
Radio Stations: B101, 92ProFM, and 94.5; targeting teenagers, young adults, and parents Script: (//children’s voices):// Hola! Bonjour! Kon’nichiwa! Hallo! Hi! //(women’s voice):// All over the world, children learn to speak languages other than their own at very young ages. As they grow up, they become more from around the world. This allows them be able to grasp concepts such as literary devices and learn how to bridge cognitive gaps with ease. These children will grow up and be accepted into good colleges and start down a path on better jobs than the average monolingual student, leading to better, stronger lifestyles. (//child’s voice//) So why don’t Rhode Island public schools give us the same oppurtunities? <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">(//women’s voice//)Please help North Kingstown students get the opportunity to receive foreign language education at a younger age. Have your voices heard at the Diolagues in Democracy Night on January 12, 2011, or visit [|www.nkdemocracyproject.wikispaces.com/foriegn+language+education]

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro Bold','serif'; font-size: 26pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: center;">Give Our Students the Gift of Communication <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro Bold','serif'; font-size: 22pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: center;">Help Incorporate Foreign Languages in Elementary Schools

~Students learn languages better when they’re younger, yet North Kingstown Schools don’t begin foreign language courses until 8th Grade ~Come make your voice heard and give your child the gift of language <span style="font-family: 'Adobe Gothic Std B','sans-serif'; font-size: 20pt; line-height: 115%;">When: January 12, 2011 from 7-8 PM  <span style="font-family: 'Adobe Gothic Std B','sans-serif'; font-size: 20pt; line-height: 115%;">Where: North Kingstown High School Cafeteria Contact Katie Lysik at (401) 886-4647 or katherinelysik@aol.com for more information

To the Editor: As a North Kingstown student, I have watched everyone I know go through the foreign language education programs at the high school. Most of them stumble through their required two years and move on, preferring to spend their few electives on courses on things they excel on, instead of a class that does not come easy, because they haven’t had the strong base that comes from a preconditioned mindset at a young age. Children learn language better because their minds are undeveloped and open to new languages, concepts, and sounds. We have all heard kids sit and babble to each other in words they make up, because their young brains are still learning; it’s in this way that they are able to absorb new languages. By the time those kids reach their teenage years, they have been conditioned to only understand English concepts and pronunciations, and foreign ideas are very difficult to comprehend. Many foreign countries understand this, and teach their students in other languages at a young age. Most American schools, however, do not. Being bilingual can improve a student’s life by a hundredfold. Not only can it improve cognitive skills and levels of comprehension, colleges look for a multiple years of language classes, not just the high school-required two years. Later in life, being bilingual improves chances of getting jobs and being able to make connections, business and personal, across the world. If other countries can take the initiation to teach their children those important skills, why don’t American school systems? North Kingstown schools can easily add a foreign language education program to their elementary and middle schools. By adding two traveling language teachers, they can cover all five schools, one school a day, one grade an hour. This can at least provide a basis. By replacing the middle school keyboarding class in 6th and 7th grade with a quarter-long Spanish class, by the time they reach 8th grade, students will have a good foundation for a full-year Spanish class (the one that’s already instituted now), and for later, in high school. I encourage North Kingstown residents who care about their student’s future education and lives to contact school committee members and try and help institute a foreign language education program. I hope that the necessary changes are soon made to provide students with a rounder, fuller education that will help them for years to come. Sincerely, High school student, Katherine Lysik


 * What should be prepared for the Dialogues in Democracy Night? Click the link below to find out: **

__Public Service Announcement:__
<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 180%;">REMINDER: Dialogues for Democracy will be held at 7:00 PM Wednesday January 12th in the High School Cafeteria. You are required to be there.

Project Completed by: Add your names here. You can add you email addresses if you want people to be able to contact you.