Goal and Mission Statement

Foreign languages provide a significant experience in international education. Such study enables students to penetrate the thinking of people in a foreign country as they learn not only their culture, but also their language, which is the ultimate key to understanding.

Education has progressively become more sophisticated in a world that is constantly changing. The need to cultivate international understanding through effective communication has become more urgent. Foreign language learning involves not only acquiring proficiency in the language, but also how to interact in the language and the culture of the people who speak it. Foreign language study plays a unique role in international education, and in preparing the student for responsible and effective participation in a global age.

Foreign languages are particularly well suited for providing practice in learning-to-learn skills such as reasoning, conceptualizing, analyzing, and problem solving. While knowledge of a foreign language is a valuable skill in itself, it is also a marketable skill. This knowledge gives one a competitive edge and flexibility essential within the job market.

The optimum program of foreign language study should begin in the elementary school. It is not enough that students learn about a foreign language; they need also to develop proficiency. Achieving proficiency in a foreign language ordinarily requires from 4 to 6 years of study and should, therefore, be started at the earliest grade level possible. Because young children acquire good pronunciation, lack inhibitions, and learn cultural material with ease, foreign language study should begin at an early age.