K-12 World Language Update
Published October 13, 2011
Below is a letter written by WCS Superintendent Dr. Mike Looney
Hello, or ní hao pronounced (Knee-how) in Chinese, and Hola pronounced (Oh-lah) in Spanish. In recent months the administrative staff of Williamson County Schools has been engaged in much dialog and research relating to our goal of teaching all students a second language beginning in elementary school in accordance with our strategic plan adopted by the School Board.
It is important to know that we will continue offering foreign language instruction at the high school and middle school levels much in the same way students, teachers and parents are accustomed to experiencing. Students in high school and middle school will still be able to select from a variety of foreign languages just as they do now.
Our plan and the goal relating to developing a comprehensive and robust foreign language program, beginning in the elementary grades, was developed after a series of community meetings where the public was invited to give input in shaping the direction and vision of the school district.
Since the strategic plan’s adoption, we have learned that this bold initiative, if successful, will set our community apart from most other school districts in America. To date, I haven’t seen any other large school district take on such a daunting task. I suppose, for some, this knowledge would be ample reason to not attempt it.
Just the mention of this idea will strike fear in some, and without question critics will argue against the necessity for such. After all, reasonable people often disagree on simple matters and this issue might prove to be particularly vexing. Truthfully, we will never be able to allay everyone’s fears or sway those critical of our ideas, plans or actions; however, we will make every effort to do so between now and the 2013-2014 school year.
The first step in our journey requires that we select a language to focus on during the elementary grades. Spanish makes practical sense, given our Nation continues to experience significant growth in Spanish speaking immigrants. Communicating with Spanish speaking residents/businesses could prove to be beneficial on a daily basis. China is a burgeoning global market and Chinese is the most spoken language in the world, but it is linguistically divergent from our native tongue and is considered by many as difficult to learn.
Choosing which language to offer is proving to be difficult, but it’s probably the easiest portion of the work. In fact, a committee of school employees tasked with advising me on which language to recommend is divided. In addition, I am seeking counsel from the United States Department of Education, business executives, experts in economic development, and others. I have received and considered unsolicited advice from a host of others to include university officials, language product vendors, and in one instance, a farmer.
In addition to the choices at the high school level, our plan, beginning in the 2013-2014 school year, is to move forward with the implementation of the district’s strategic plan by implementing a more comprehensive foreign language program. The details and methodology for doing so will be solidified over the course of the next school year. Meanwhile, we will continue with our research, focus on building partnerships to support a successful implementation, and provide outreach services to the community relating to this endeavor.
During the next 12 months we will be exploring how we might best go about offering Chinese, Spanish or both to Williamson County school students. Meanwhile your input and ideas are welcome. Please feel free to email me at mike.looney@wcs.edu or if you just want to stay informed follow me on Twitter at mikelooney63.
Embarking on such a sizeable journey will require courage, thought, and creative thinking. We will face opposition, and the possibility for failure exists; however, the potential benefits to our students and community are so great that failing to try would be unconscionable.
Respectfully,
Mike Looney
Superintendent