Multilingual Skills Early

There are 57 different languages spoken in the Irvine Unified School District. The problem is that most students are proficient in only one--if that.

This is especially so among Anglo students, who are exposed only to English at school and at home.

In this shrinking world, where communication in business and social situations makes it advantageous to be bilingual and even trilingual, high school graduates who speak only English are at a distinct disadvantage.

The lack of multilingual skills is a shortcoming not limited solely to elementary school students in Irvine. It is prevalent in all Orange County school districts.

We mention Irvine only because that community is trying to do something to improve the language skills in the lower grades. That is the place to start.

Experience has shown that young children not only are more receptive, but have demonstrated the ability to be able to learn several languages at one time.

Although they should be doing so, no school district in Orange County is now offering a foreign language to students in the elementary grades.

Irvine’s program is offered after school on a voluntary basis to students as young as kindergarten age.

The impetus for the language instruction, and the funding, has come from parents in the district.

School officials, wisely, are cooperating, and the courses are now available in nearly 20 of the district’s schools.

More school districts should make similar efforts. But even an after-school program like the one in Irvine is a stopgap measure. Foreign language courses should be offered in the lower grades as part of the regular school curriculum.

That need finally is being recognized in Sacramento. State Supt. of Schools Bill Honig has focused on the problem and has published a Foreign Language Framework geared to make foreign language classes a requirement at the elementary school level.

The concept should be translated into concrete programs.

Business and industry have recognized that to remain competitive in the world market, the ability of their employees to speak more than one language has become increasingly vital. The growing enrollment in private language schools bears that out.

It is time for the public schools to attack foreign language illiteracy, too, as parents and school officials in Irvine are doing.