By Jon Spike
The Daily Cardinal
The language of America is changing, there is no question. For some, that fact is getting harder and harder to accept. In academic circles around the nation, education officials are deliberating how to adjust the contemporary curriculum and classroom for a changing dynamic of communication and language comprehension.
Some communities, however, are still resisting the shift. Take, for instance, my hometown of Edgerton where the local high school drew ire from the community for allowing a Spanish class to recite the pledge of allegiance in Spanish. Local Veterans of Foreign Wars members were outraged, citing blatant disrespect for what is thought to be an American"" tradition. What they did not consider, however, is that America started as a collective of illegal immigrants emigrating from Europe to the ""New World."" In a contemporary context, America is now a diverse and varied population, one-third of which consists of minorities According to the 2000 U.S. Census, that percentage rose from one-fourth minority population eight years ago.
As embarrassed as I was for the nearsightedness in my home community, I was proud that Edgerton High School held its ground on the issue. Superintendant Norm Fjelsted refused to apologize or denounce the principal or teacher for allowing the pledge to be recited in Spanish. He astutely pointed out that over 110,000 Spanish-speaking individuals serve in the U.S. military and over 400 have died in Iraq or Afghanistan. America's culture is irrevocably tied to a multicultural population, and it's time that educators start adapting their curriculums and language practices to meet the changing racial dynamics.
In a press release issued in August 2008, the U.S. Census Bureau revealed some incredible statistics about America's future in terms of minority demographics. Minorities will become the majority by 2042. By 2050, the nation's children will be 62 percent minority, up from 44 percent today. Tell me - in 2050, will we still tell the same perspectives of American history in our social studies classes or de-emphasize languages other than standardized English in our classrooms?
Some Madison-area schools are already making strides toward adjusting for the changing demographic. Madison's Leopold Elementary School will offer a dual-language immersion program for the 2009-2010 school year, allowing parents to choose either an English-based kindergarten program or the dual immersion program. By the time the program is fully implemented in six years, 16 out of the 44 classrooms at Leopold will use the dual-language immersion program.
In addition, standardized testing must realign to meet the changing dialect and language of contemporary America. In writing portions of standardized tests, a premium is placed on formality and comprehension of the ""standard English"" portion of testing, yet our current educational practices often do not properly instill these abilities in students who have not had the opportunity to be fully immersed in written English language and familiarize themselves with its intricacies. Rather than promote a culture of formal English that does not reflect the dialect, verbal cues or language of America's contemporary multicultural society, educators must reconsider what is considered the ""dominant"" discourse of our written and verbal language.
The move to include dual-language immersion programs at Leopold Elementary is a good start and a great example of what reforms are needed in our educational policies, but so much more can be done, especially at the university level.
UW-Madison is a beacon for progressive education, yet we justify our multicultural immersion with a single three-credit course. UW-Madison must realign its requirements for all majors to at least pursue continual involvement in either a foreign language or ethnic studies in order to adjust to the continually changing American demographic.
America's minorities will be the majority population, and education officials must be ready to adapt their curricula and programs.
Jon Spike is a junior majoring in secondary education in English. Please send responses to opinion@dailycardinal.com
