According to the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents, offering students the chance to enroll in such subjects as foreign language in middle school allows them to reduce the natural tendency to avoid the unfamiliar in high school.  They further state that schools should emphasize the need to begin taking appropriate courses during the freshman year, especially in mathematics, science, and foreign languages.  Additionally, many colleges and universities around the country are requiring foreign language for all of their students.

According to Kaplan and the College Board, colleges are most interested in students who have a strong academic foundation in five core content areas:  English, mathematics, foreign language, science, and social studies.  It is recommended that students have at least three years of study in one language, such as, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Latin, Arabic, Japanese, or Russian.  Admissions deans at Harvard recommend four years of a foreign language.

In the State of Indiana, taking a foreign language is required for earning an Academic Honors Diploma.  To earn this diploma, a high school student must take either three years of one foreign language or two years of two different foreign languages.

The Vigo County School Corporation offers a variety of foreign languages that students may enroll in during high school.  Courses offered include French, German, Latin, and Spanish.  Additionally, the cadet teaching courses have been offered for our high school students.  It is in this course that students visit the elementary schools and begin teaching foreign language to the elementary students.

The Vigo County School Corporation offers a Foreign Language Summer Enrichment Program in each of our six middle schools.  The program is offered to all incoming seventh and eighth grade students.  The students meet daily in the summer from 9:00 - 11:00 a.m.  Students experience enrichment activities, learn about the culture, geography, and traditions of several different countries.  Languages offered include French, German, Latin, and Spanish.

According to the ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center) Clearinghouse on Languages and Linguistics Washington D.C., "In middle school foreign language settings, classroom activities that engage students in meaningful and purposeful language use should predominate.  Effective foreign language instruction at the middle school level will provide opportunities for students to construct and create their own understanding of how to make meaning from what they hear and read, and how they use their understanding to construct and create their own meanings in speech and writing."

The Educational Resources Information Center (Parent Brochure) further states, "Knowing a second language ultimately provides a competitive advantage in the workforce by opening up additional job opportunities.  Also, students of foreign languages score statistically higher on standardized tests conducted in English."  In its 1992 Profile of SAT and Achievement Test Takers, the College Entrance Examination Board reported that students who averaged four or more years of foreign language study scored higher on the verbal section of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) than those who had studied four or more years in any other subject area.  In addition, students of foreign languages have access to a greater number of career possibilities and develop a deeper understanding of their own and other cultures.  Some evidence also suggests that children who receive second language instruction are more creative and better at solving complex problems.