U.S. should strengthen bilingual education | Opinion

America — that glorious symbol of multiculturalism, the great melting pot — qualifies as part of the developed world, right? Not quite, if we consider the state of second language learning in schools across the country. According to a 2018 study from the Pew Research Center, Europe is consistently tops the U.S. in foreign language education in schools. A median of 92% of European students are learning a language in school. In America it’s only 20%. In more than 20 European countries, studying a foreign language for at least one year is compulsory. In comparison, only 10 states and D.C require learning a foreign language for graduation.
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