March 2001

BACKGROUND: In the Oregon Educational Act for the 21^st Century, students planning to attend Oregon colleges will be required to be proficient in a second language. This rule was originally set to begin in 2002; however a delay until 2007 is being considered by the legislature. Facing the challenge of scarce resources, the Reedsport School District applied for an Edcore Grant for Schoolwide Redesign from International Paper Company Foundation to increase language instruction. The program is called "Habla Mi Lengua?" (Do You Speak My Language?)

The district, which serves about 960 students, faced some tough challenges: Over the past 20 years enrollment has dropped almost 50 percent due to the loss of fishing industry jobs and mill closures. The district had to cut about $570,000 from its 1999-00 budget. This, along with new state requirements, caught Reedsport in the vice of limited funds. However, because 60 percent of Reedsport’s graduates traditionally go on to college, meeting the second language goal was vital.

Superintendent Ike Launstein pointed out these challenges in applying for the grant in 1999. Just as important, he expressed a strong commitment to "be a leader in providing second language instruction to a level where students are proficient in reading, speaking and comprehending Spanish by the time they graduate," he wrote in the grant application.

WHAT THEY DID: The district received $9,000 from the foundation to increase Spanish language instruction in elementary and middle school. Commitment from the school board can been seen by the fact that the program is now in the district’s general fund budget. The grant was used for staff training, materials and to help draw the community’s attention to the importance of cultural diversity and second language learning.

The key to learning a second language is to start as early as possible, according to high school language teacher Bill Wiggans, who coordinates the program with Sue Martino, elementary school teacher. They and teacher Lynda Hathorn created an articulated curriculum that allows students to take 11 years of Spanish starting in the second grade. They contracted with Bonnie Elliott, a program developer from the Bend-LaPine School District, to present workshops to help elementary teachers reinforce second language skills. "I thought we’d have a problem if we didn’t get support from other teachers, but Bonnie really helped generate the enthusiasm."

To involve the community during the first year, the public was invited to participate in classroom activities and student work was displayed at local businesses.

Challenges they addressed: 1) Finding the time for instruction in an already busy curriculum; 2) selecting a quality program of instruction; 3) Finding qualified teachers/presenters; and 4) Finding materials.

Elementary Principal Linda Deardorf and Middle School Principal Dave Tisler were committed to finding classroom time for this added program. Finding a good program for elementary students was difficult because few exist in Oregon, Wiggans said. Staff observed programs where teachers showed a video on teaching Spanish, and decided that wasn’t the best approach. "It occurred to me that there is no substitute for teachers who are physically present and have a passion for what they teach," he said. "Students are quick to notice if the teacher is paying attention to the video and often model their own interest on their teacher’s interest."

Reedsport hired Teresa Atterberry, a native Spanish speaker, who spends half a day at the middle school working with Lynda Hathorn in providing half a year of Spanish for all middle school students. Atterberry spends the other half of her time giving weekly 25-minute lessons to all students in grades 2-5. At the high school, Wiggans teaches three sections of Spanish 1, two of Spanish 2 and a Spanish conversation class where students plan and present weekly 20-minute Spanish lessons at the elementary school. "The reaction of the younger students has been remarkably successful," Wiggans said. "High school students are often amazed at how fast younger students learn, and, older students have gained a new respect for the teaching profession."

RESULTS: "We’ve watched the Spanish levels of incoming sixth and ninth grade students improve each year," Wiggans said. "Eventually we will use testing, oral proficiency and teacher recommendations to place incoming freshmen. Instead of memorizing vocabulary lists, we focus on teaching students to use what they learn." As a good example, the culminating event in high school is a two-hour Spanish Fair, where Spanish 1 students are "tourists" who are given a story in Spanish that tells them to perform 16 tasks. Second year and conversational students are "shop owners," from bank owners and hotel clerks to restaurant and bus station operators. No English is allowed. Violators are "arrested" and detained in jail for five minutes. Students come away with the confidence of being able to take care of basic needs by speaking only Spanish.

"We are trying to step up our efforts," Wiggans said. "We feel confident our district will meet the CIM, CAM and graduation requirements. Much credit goes to our school board for making a second language curriculum a high priority."

Reedsport also addressed the eight-point Congressional Findings on the importance of learning a foreign language.

For an outline of specific curriculum activities, programs and staff training, and grant application materials the district submitted, contact Bill Wiggans.

CONGRESSIONAL FINDINGS
ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION ACT
Title II (Part B)
Foreign Language Assistance Program
Section 7202 Findings

The Congress finds as follows:

1. Foreign language proficiency is crucial to our Nation’s economic competitiveness and national security. Significant improvement in the quantity and quality of foreign instruction offered in our nation’s elementary and secondary schools is necessary.
2. All Americans need a global perspective. To understand the world around us, we must acquaint ourselves with the languages, culture and history of other nations.
3. Proficiency in two or more languages should be promoted for all American students. Multilingualism enhances cognitive and social growth, competitiveness in the global marketplace, national security and understanding of diverse people and cultures.
4. The U.S. lags behind other developed countries in offering foreign language study to elementary and secondary students.
5. Four out of five new jobs in the U.S. are created from foreign trade.
6. The optimum time to begin learning a second language is in elementary school, when children have the ability to learn and excel in several foreign language acquisition skills, including pronunciation, and when children are most open to appreciating and valuing a culture other than their own.
7. Foreign language study can increase children’s capacity for critical and creative thinking skills and children who study a second language show greater cognitive development in areas such as mental flexibility, creativity, tolerance and higher order thinking skills.
8. Children who have studied a foreign language in elementary school achieve expected gains and score higher on standardized tests of reading, language arts and mathematics than children who have not studied a foreign language.