Intellectual and Social Benefits

Beginning in the 1960s and continuing into the 1990s, no fewer than 144 studies explored the relationship between cognitive ability and learning a second language early in life.

Researcher D.W. Robinson summarized many of the studies: "The picture that emerges is ... a youngster whose experience with two language systems seems to have left her with a mental flexibility, a superiority in concept formation, a more diversified set of mental abilities."

It's clear. Children who learn a foreign language early perform better on standardized and basic skills tests in English, math and social studies, the studies indicated. Children who study a foreign language early boost their ability to communicate, their cognitive development, their cultural awareness and their future job opportunities.

Use it or Lose it

Learning a second language is a powerful experience that helps the brain of young children develop. Brain research indicates that there is a window of opportunity during childhood when basic connections for language learning are most easily made. The most successful second-language learner is one who starts early.

"Gray Matters: The Developing Brain," addressed early language learning and focused on how the young brain develops into a "reading, writing and rollerblading 10-year-old." The program was broadcast by Public Radio International and produced in association with the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives, an independent, non-profit organization of more than 140 of the nation's leading brain scientists.

It outlined how the child's brain is different from the adult brain because it is a very dynamic structure. A 2-year-old child has twice as many synapses (connections) in the brain as an adult. The young brain must use these connections or lose them. The learning experiences of the child determine which connections are developed and which will no longer function.

The young brain actually will grow the connections needed to learn the language -- no longer possible after age 12. That's why waiting until after puberty to start learning a foreign language makes the task much more difficult. Brain "plasticity" has been lost, the number of synapses has been greatly reduced, and the brain no longer has the same power to restructure itself that it has when the child is young.*

Another study revealed that the capacity to speak a second language is stored in different areas of the brain depending on when in life a person becomes bilingual. Children who learn a second language store that capacity, together with their native language, in one sector of the brain. Adult language learners store each new language learned in a separate area. Studies have shown that children who learn a language before the onset of adolescence are much more likely to have native-like pronunciation. A number of experts attribute this difference to physiological changes that occur in the maturing brain as a child enters puberty. "After puberty, which happens, on average, around age 13, it is harder to learn a language and sound native. Before then, it is relatively easier," says Constancio Nakuma, languages department chairman at Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina, adding his voice to the chorus who believe most American children begin language studies too late.

Renewed importance

You can see that a vast amount of research supports the argument that foreign language instruction should be part of the elementary school curriculum. Why is it then that most language programs in U.S. schools start later? Currently, only seven states have a second-language requirement for all children in elementary school: Arizona, Arkansas, Louisiana, North Carolina, Montana, New Jersey and Oklahoma. Elsewhere in America, it would seem, foreign language instruction is still viewed an academic enrichment activity, akin to art or music. There are too many basic and mandated skills that must be taught in U.S. classrooms to keep up with federal, state and local rules and expectations, and too few instructional minutes in the day as is. Academic priorities are sometimes constricted by the current fiscal plight.

Wedging language instruction into that already crowded schedule just hasn't been a priority. However, maybe that's slowly changing. "Especially after 9/11, parents are looking at the curriculum and saying American children should be learning more foreign languages," says Nancy Rhodes, director of the Center for Applied Linguistics. The Department of Defense's Gail McGinn, deputy undersecretary of defense for plans, described the revelation as a "Sputnik moment." In 1957 when the Soviets launched Sputnik, the first satellite, the United States quickly began pushing math, science and language instruction so American students could play catch-up. Similarly, after 9/11, the United States recognized its language deficiencies for certain parts of the world. "The global war on terror x made us realize that we need these capabilities, and we need people to have these skills," McGinn said. There is a constant demand by government intelligence and diplomatic branches for interpreters, and the Defense Department is on the lookout for people with language skills to support current and future operations. Just as important as language skills, McGinn says, is an understanding of other countries' geographies, cultures and people.

Higher achievement

In addition to developing a lifelong ability to communicate with more people, children can derive other benefits from early language instruction, including improved overall school performance, higher creativity, and superior analytical and problem-solving skills.

Researchers Helena Anderson Curtain and Carol Ann Pesola studied the Georgia Elementary School Foreign Language Model Program and determined that the immediate benefits include greater academic achievement in other areas of study, including reading, social studies, and mathematics and earning higher SAT and ACT scores, especially in verbal areas. They also summarized studies concerned with the relationship of language learning to English language and mathematics. "The evidence was consistent: There was no sacrifice of basic skills when time was given to learning a new language." In fact, some studies indicated that language instruction resulted in dramatic gains in test performance in basic skill areas.

A study of 13,200 third- and fifth-graders in Louisiana public schools revealed that students taking foreign language classes did better on the English section of the state basic-skills test than those who did not, regardless of race, gender or academic level.

Researchers showed that third-graders taught Spanish for 30 minutes 3 times a week showed "statistically significant" gains in their state test scores in math and language after only one semester of study. Notably, one class taking foreign language instruction had actually received 1 1/2 fewer hours of math instruction per week -- and still outperformed students who had not enrolled in the foreign language program.

The College Board reported that students who had four or more years of a foreign language scored higher on the verbal section of the SAT than those who had four or more years in any other subject area.

Anyone who is concerned about boosting academic achievement should focus on the study of foreign languages, says former Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley. "Let me suggest one other way to raise standards," Riley said in an annual address on the state of education. "I believe that in this new economy every high school student should be close to fluent in a foreign language when he or she graduates. We should begin teaching foreign languages in our elementary schools, and then in middle schools and high schools. English is a beautiful language and every American student must be a master of it. English is surely a world language. But learning a foreign language exposes young people to new cultures and new horizons and helps them understand English better."

Benefits of Being Bilingual

Knowing a second language ultimately provides a competitive advantage in the work force by opening up additional job opportunities. Americans fluent in other languages enhance our economic competitiveness abroad, improve global communication, and maintain our political and security interests. Exposing children to alternative ways of expressing themselves and to different cultures generally broadens their outlook and gives them the opportunity to communicate with many more people.

The need for bilingual employees in the United States has been growing since about 1980, according to the journal Employment Review. Because Latinos make up the largest (and fastest-growing) minority ethnic group in America, Spanish is quite naturally the language most in demand, especially in areas with large concentrations of Spanish speakers such as Southern California.

In today's global economy, bilingual workers have the advantage. In one study, the majority of companies polled said they feel the need for more foreign language speakers. Over half said they are more likely to hire a candidate with language skills than without. Over half also said they pay their bilingual employees more, some as much as 20 percent extra. A study by the University of Florida, the University of Miami and the Florida Department of Education showed that fully bilingual Latino employees make an average of $7,000 a year more than their coworkers who speak only English. Being bilingual pays off -- literally.

Schools, hospitals, courts, churches, police departments, airlines, the government -- all kinds of employers routinely ask applicants whether they speak Spanish. So whether your child becomes a teacher, an emergency room physician, an attorney, a police officer, a pilot, a diplomat or something in between, he or she will discover that knowing two languages is highly advantageous to his or her professional life.

The future

At Planet Spanish, we support the theory put forth by the commission that established the National Foreign Language Standards:

Language and communication are the heart of the human experience. "The United States must educate students who are equipped linguistically and culturally to communicate successfully in a pluralistic American society and abroad," the group stated. "This imperative envisions a future in which all students will develop and maintain proficiency in English and at least one other language, modern or classical."