Elementary School Foreign Language Programs in the United States
In: The annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Band 532, Heft 1, S. 164-176
ISSN: 1552-3349
This article presents a perspective on elementary school foreign language programs in the United States. The author presents an overview of the history of elementary programs, a summary of present practices, and a discussion of the educational and political context of early language programs. Recommendations for future action by both language educators and early language advocates are offered, as is a summary of promising activity by professional language organizations. The author concludes that elementary programs will not expand significantly without the establishment of a national language policy and an extensive public-awareness campaign.