South Dakota does not require students to study any language besides English to get a high school diploma, so revision of the K-12 world language standards doesn’t draw any of the political sturm und drang that accompanied the revision of the social studies and math standards. Bob Mercer reports that, at the first public hearing on the proposed revision in Aberdeen Monday, the Board of Education Standards discussed one question raised by the only member of the public to submit substantive concerns about the proposed revision. That sole concern, from O’Gorman Spanish teacher Dr. Sarah Sinnott, asks for a chart, measurable goals, and clearer definitions.
Dr. Sinnott was one of at least twelve practicing K-12 world language teachers that made up the majority of the standards revision committee. You can tell that, unlike the social studies and math standards, Hillsdale College didn’t come barging in to shove Project 2025 into the world language standards, since the document mentions “diverse perspectives three times. With political hacks staying out of this process, these actual world language teachers were left to do their own work, which change some language but leave the 2019 standards largely intact and devoid of any apparent political agenda.
The Board of Education Standards will continue to take public comment and hold three more public hearings before approving these uncontroversial world language standards next spring.
If a second language were to be required, I believe it should be sign language.
Very astute comment, Ben. Great idea!
I’m not a language-based learner but I think I could learn sign language. It’s tactile. Great idea.
In college, I needed one year of foreign language. We were on the quarter system, so 10-week classes. I took German and dropped after three weeks. Instead, I took three quarters of foreign film; German, French, and Italian. Of course, there were subtitles.
Mr. Ben, “American Sign Language,” not like the gibberish sign language some fellows use or the gansta sign language. American Sign Language. American.
Arabic, Mandarin and Spanish in South Dakota schools? Sure, that’s cool; but learning where students are steeped in Native languages is giving the next generation of Indigenous people opportunities to preserve their heritage. And, in South Dakota white evangelicals steal money slated for American Indian education and murder their families when the jig is up then place a complicit attorney general at the head of the investigation.
Recall Earth hating former South Dakota Governor Mike Rounds won election to the US Senate for advocating the dissolution of the US Department of Education.
After consultations with stakeholders the New Mexico Public Education Department hopes to provide instruction that is relevant to English language learners and Indigenous students alike by adding ethnic, cultural and identity curricula to the state’s social studies standards by emphasizing tribal sovereignty, social justice and sustainable futures. Yet, while many New Mexico schools offer Indigenous languages some still struggle with student absenteeism.
Grudz, I agree. None of that urban, New York hand gibberish.
https://youtu.be/kzWXdVsHMCM?is=wwfTFrUOzYCEMNO7
In 2000-2001 Rapid City Area School district Superintendent (Dr. Wharton) was looking to add Lakota language to the curriculum. The problem at the time was there were almost no teachers of Lakota that had state teacher certification. Further, most Lakota speaking teachers were on the reservation, and we would have had to poach a teacher from the rez schools.
I understand that RCAS has solved some of that problem through Title VI funding, but it still isn’t of solid footing as teacher availability varies.
There is a two-way pipeline of Lakota students going back and forth between the reservation schools to the schools in Rapid City, so it helps to have some coordinated programs.