Rye School Board Approves Second Foreign Language Option

The Rye City School District Board of Education voted in favor of two new additions to the foreign languages curriculum Tuesday.

The changes will better prepare students for a global economy, the board said.

The board initially discussed making changes to the current curriculum at its December meeting. The district currently requires students to take one foreign language.

After thorough discussions, the board voted 6-1 in favor of offering a second foreign language to Rye Middle School students; and 5-2 to offer Mandarin to children grades six through 12 for the 2010 – 2011 school year.

In addition to their primary foreign language, middle schoolers will now be able to select a second foreign language as an elective in the 6th, 7th or 8th grades.

Board members stressed the importance of expanding the foreign language curriculum.  "This is where we need to go to give our students more options to compete in a world where not everybody will speak English and where [the U.S.] will not necessarily be the largest economy," Board Member Edward Fox said.

However, there were concerns, such as the long-term academic implications for students who chose the second language option early on.

"As much as we say we educate the parents, I think we are going to run into a problem," board member Kendall Egan said. "I wouldn't want them to start focusing and narrowing themselves too far, too soon."

Superintendant Ed Shine assured the board the district would make every effort to explain the program to students and parents. Shine said the foreign language option would only be an elective, so he didn't see any problem with giving students a choice.

The board also voted in favor of offering Mandarin.

Several board members expressed concerns about the cost of additional classes, considering the current state of the economy and cuts in state aid.  Board members also discussed the challenges of executing the Mandarin curriculum, particularly finding qualified instructors.

"Everything I've read is that it's extremely difficult to hire a teacher of Mandarin who is proficient and certified and connects with the kids. It's a very difficult venture," Egan said.

Parents in the audience addressed the issue of quality.

"My only concern is that we're not doing an excellent job in foreign languages as it is, and biting off all of this then expands that," said Adele Centanni, who has children in middle school and high school. "We need to work on what we do today."