Advocacy

Advocacy

Check this out!!!

Surprising Career Fields that having a knowledge of a Second Language will Pay Off

http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Article/MSN-2785-Job-Info-and-Trends-Surprising-industries-where-a-second-language-will-pay-off/?SiteId=cbmsnhp42785&sc_extcmp=JS_2785_home1

The Connecticut Council of Language Teachers is collecting data from students who have graduated from public or private CT high schools in the past 10 years. We are looking for information regarding your language experience, continued study, and usefulness in your post high school years. The information will be used to support our request to the State Legislature to include a minimum 2 year world language requirements for high school graduation. We believe that in order to prepare our students to compete globally in the 21st century, knowledge of a second language and culture is critical.

Click Here to take survey

Landmark World Language Graduation Requirement Bill Passes in the CT General Assembly!

The bill that calls for 2 high school credits in world languages as a requirement for graduation as part of Secondary School Reform passed the House and Senate. Reliable sources indicate that Governor Rell is expected to sign the bill in the next couple of weeks. Please send one more message by phone, e-mail or post card to Governor Rell urging her to pass this critical legislation for our state. A sample message has been sent to all CT COLT colleagues through our regional directors. If you did not receive this e-mail, please contact me at jaya.vijayasekar@vernonct.org.

CONGRATULATIONS to all of you who contributed to this effort by making phone calls, writing emails and letters, testifying at hearings etc.! It is because of your advocacy effort that our goal has been met.

Jaya Vijayasekar
Immediate Past President
Connecticut Council of Language Teachers

IMPORTANT CALL TO ACTION!

Did you know that the Ad-Hoc Committee DROPPED the World Language graduation requirement from its recommendations to the State Board of Education?

Did you know that on October 2^nd, the State Board of Education voted on this recommendation with this omission?

Please read "The Connecticut Plan: Academic and Personal Success for Every Middle and High School Student" (see below).

Please read Jaya Vijayasekar’s testimony (see below) to the State Board of Education.

Download the petition (see below) and have as many CT residents sign this petition and send it on to CT COLT.

We will need to do everything we can to get the two year World Language graduation requirement back into the high school re-design proposal. Ignoring the WL requirement while putting in place others will result in more cuts to world languages!

We need to do the following:

Call and/or e-mail your legislators! http://www.cga.ct.gov/maps/townlist.asp

Call and/or e-mail your State Representative! http://www.cga.ct.gov/maps/townlist.asp

Sample letter to send to legislators and representatives

Contact Governor Rell! Governor.Rell@ct.gov

Attend hearings and state our case!

Call local politicians and business constituents!

Do all that we can to get this requirement reinstated!

Please read the following documents carefully and print out the petition and have people sign it!

The Connecticut Plan: Academic and Personal Success for Every Middle and High School Student

Jaya Vijayasekar's testimony to the State Board of Education

Letter from Brett Lovejoy, Executive Director of ACTFL, to the chairperson of the CT State Board of Education

A copy of the petition which you may download, print, have signed and return to CT COLT

World Language Advocacy Links

    "Why Foreign Language Education Matters" by Representative Rush Holt

    "Regarding World Language Education: The Benefits of Second Language Study"

CT COLT World Language Advocacy Video

    Please click here to view the CT COLT World Language Advocacy Video recorded at the 2008 CT COLT Fall Conference at the CT Convention Center in Hartford.

New York in French Video: The Paths We Choose

This video examines the value of a bilingual education, exploring why younger children have a superior ability to learn a second language... To view this video, please click here.