Report Concludes U.S. Needs to Provide More Support for International Studies

According to a report released by the National Research Council this week, the 14 U.S. Department of Education programs designed to strengthen education in foreign languages and in international and area studies — known collectively as Title VI and Fulbright-Hays — have made some progress but lack the resources necessary to keep pace with their mission.

Professor Fernando Reimers was one of 13 experts placed on a panel to conduct research for this report. Reimers says he looked at a number of case studies and evaluations, as well as conducted interviews of business leaders, military officials, and the intelligence community in order to gauge how much change has occurred in foreign area expertise and foreign language over the past 50 years.

The report calls for more support in all levels of the U.S. education system to develop a more integrated approach in order to improve foreign language skills and knowledge of other cultures starting in primary education. The report also calls for universities to play a key role through partnerships with federal officials to create a system that monitors the improvement of the programs.

“The importance of the economic and political future to a great extent depends on being able to teach these things on even a basic level like teaching foreign language,” Reimers says. “Most schools should teach at least one foreign language, if not two. We can do that – it’s not rocket science. We also should place a bigger emphasis in teaching on social aspects, as well as world geography, development economics, globalization, and demography.