Utah’s political and
educational leadership gets it, that is, has a vision of what today’s students
will need for their economic futures. I reported last year on Utah’s efforts to
expand Spanish, Mandarin and French immersion programs (here). Here’s an update
from the Deseret News (Salt Lake City) by Elizabeth Stuart “Utah pushing
language immersion curriculum” (here):
… It has been only two years since Utah legislators secured funding to experiment with immersion education, but already the state has 51 programs up and running. Fourteen more are set to take off this fall. By 2014, educators hope to have 30,000 of Utah's students signed up.
"Our main goal is to mainstream immersion," said Gregg Roberts, the world language specialist at the Utah State Office of Education. "In the past it has been a boutique program for elite private schools. We want to make that option available to all parents."
In the meantime, other states are taking note. Utah is the first in the nation to develop standardized immersion curriculum. In June, representatives from Arizona, California, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland and North and South Carolina dropped in to take a peek at the state's program.
"Utah is leading the nation in immersion education," said Myriam Met, deputy director of the National Foreign Language Center in Maryland. "I'm in awe of what you're doing for your children and your communities."
State leaders Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, and Superintendent Larry Shumway pushed to bring immersion education to Utah to prepare students to be "global citizens."
"We've got to catch up," Stephenson said. "We've got to start teaching our students not only the language of our history, but also the language of our future." ….
Why, oh why, is Oregon such a backwater state? Why are we again falling behind? When we could so easily, and at very little or no added costs, be in the vanguard with many more immersion programs and a Go Global High School Study Abroad Program?
And, hard budget times are just an excuse not a real reason!
Our business, political and educational leadership needs to wake up!
In the past it has been a boutique program for elite private schools. We want to make that option available to all parents.
Posted by: pandora | May 03, 2011 at 02:25 AM
It has been only two years since Utah legislators secured funding to experiment with immersion education, but already the state has 51 programs up and running.
Posted by: christian louboutin sale | May 03, 2011 at 02:27 AM
Fourteen more are set to take off this fall. By 2014, educators hope to have 30,000 of Utah's students signed up.
Posted by: louboutin | May 03, 2011 at 02:28 AM
Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, and Superintendent Larry Shumway pushed to bring immersion education to Utah to prepare students to be "global citizens.
Posted by: christian louboutin shoes | May 03, 2011 at 02:29 AM
Why, oh why, is Oregon such a backwater state? Why are we again falling behind?
Posted by: christian louboutin | May 03, 2011 at 02:30 AM