As an English language teacher in an international primary school and a language learner myself, I often think about how many K-12 students in the United States are given the opportunity to study another language in school. The answer? Not enough.

There are a number of research organizations collecting data about foreign language study and multilingualism in the U.S., however, with insufficient and lagging data from schools, this research has its limitations. Nationwide research is also relatively infrequent — the most recent in-depth study of U.S. language education was published in 2017, with data from less than half of the country’s K-12 schools.

While our understanding of language education is incomplete, we know that most K-12 students in American public schools do not have the opportunity to study an additional language to proficiency. Without a national standard or requirement, foreign language enrollment and assessment varies widely by state, but Edweek reported in 2017 that one in five K-12 students in the U.S. were studying a world language or American Sign Language.

Though there are a number of strong language programs across the country, a 2016 report published by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences showed evidence of declines in foreign language course offerings in elementary schools and middle schools over the years. And only 11 states had foreign language graduation requirements according to a national survey of K-16 foreign language enrollment published in 2017 by the American Councils for International Education. Of the small portion of the U.S. which identifies as multilingual, only a small percentage report having acquired the additional language in a school setting, emphasizing just how few students successfully learn another language through their K-12 education.

The result is a largely monolingual population, in a largely multilingual world. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 78 percent of the U.S. population speaks only English as of 2019. This isn’t surprising, given that many public school students in the U.S. don’t have an opportunity to learn a new language in school until middle or high school.

American students deserve a multilingual education, and the multitude of benefits deriving from studying an additional language — but many students, especially those in public schools, do not have an opportunity until late in their schooling, if at all.

Read the full article about multilingual education programs by Harlie Rush at EdSurge.