National K-12 Foreign Language Survey

Survey data were examined and presented according to various factors that may affect language instruction, including these:

• Type of school (public or private)
• Location of school (urban, rural, or suburban)
• Socioeconomic status of students
• Percentage of minority students enrolled in the school
• Geographical region (e.g., Northeast, Pacific Northwest)

The survey results present national and regional data; state-by-state data were not an outcome of this survey. Answers to the following questions are presented in the final survey results:

• Does the school offer foreign language instruction?
• What languages are taught?
• What types of programs are most common?
• Is there an established foreign language curriculum?
• How much do teachers use the foreign language in the classroom?
• What are the qualifications of the techers?
• Do teachers integrate national and/or state foreign language standards into their instruction?
• How has the foreign language program beenaffected by NCLB?

The overarching theme in the analysis was how the data can be used to help our country increase and improve language teaching in elementary and secondary schools over the next decade.