YAHOO NEWS | In the Americas, right to learn a second language gains support
“In the 21st century with so much internationalism, we really need to be giving all children the opportunity to learn another language,” says Fred Genesee, an expert on dual-language education in Canada at McGill University in Montreal. “We’re not talking about icing on the cake anymore. We’re talking about a life skill that actually gives these kids a real advantage.”
Canada has (the most) experience with fostering bilingual education. It started with a French immersion program in the 1960s in Montreal for English-speakers who were a minority in the French-speaking province of Quebec. The program, and its various spinoffs, has since grown country-wide into a lauded national model.
Still, French immersion has been experiencing growing pains. It is not compulsory, and where demand outstrips supply in school districts, frustration has followed.
