Syracuse University’s newly implemented Spanish Education Bachelor’s of Art Program is a step in the right direction and should serve as a starting point for language education programs at SU.

The program, which began this semester and is the first language education program SU has had since the 1990s, offers a specific area of study and a faster path to certification for students that want to teach Spanish at secondary schools in New York State. Spanish education majors are jointly enrolled in the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics and in the School of Education’s Teaching and Leadership program. Students earn one bachelor’s degree given dually between the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Education.

The program combines Spanish and education into a single discipline. This allows students to master the language and the method of teaching it to others. It will also accelerate the teaching certification process upon graduation, which requires a series of exams. 

These programs are important because they offer the dual benefit of learning a language and learning specifically how to teach that language at the middle and high school levels.

While there is only one student currently enrolled in the program, further promotion in the next few years can help the program grow. If the program sees increased enrollment,
SU should expand it by adding a diverse range of language education programs such as German, French and Arabic.

Language education programs are something that SU has been lacking. Ithaca College already has established teacher education programs in French and German in addition to Spanish. The Spanish program is a step in the right direction for SU, but it just the start.

With more language education programs, the network of foreign language teachers in middle and high schools both in New York state and across the U.S. will grow. When there are more qualified teachers, language courses will become standard in more schools.

 The U.S. lags behind other industrialized countries in language education. According to the Asia Society, a non-profit, nonpartisan educational organization, 20 of 25 industrialized countries start teaching languages at the kindergarten level. American students typically do not start learning a language until middle or high school.

It is vital for American students to start catching up to their counterparts around the world. The growth of programs like the one SU is now offering will produce more teachers and more multilingual students in America.

Published on January 23, 2014 at 2:51 am

Contact: opinion@dailyorange.com