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Italian
Language Study on Rise in U.S
(Article
appeared in November 2002 issue of the "Language
Magazine")
by Michael T. Greto
Director, Youth and Italian Studies Programs
Enrollment
in Italian is on the rise in U.S. high schools and universities,
and growing faster than the enrollment rates for Spanish,
French, and German, according to a study by the Order
Sons of Italy in America (OSIA).
Using the most current data available from the American
Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)
and the Modern Language Association (MLA), The OSIA
Italian Language Enrollment Report found that Italian
language enrollment in U.S. high schools rose 46 percent
in a six-year period between 1994 and 2000 compared
to Spanish enrollment, which rose 26 percent; and French
and German, which dropped 2.75 percent and 13 percent,
respectively.
At the college level, Italian language enrollment
increased nearly 13 percent between 1995 and 1998. During
the same period, Spanish enrollment rose 8.3 percent
while French and German numbers dropped 3.1 percent
and 7.5 percent, respectively.
In 1994, 43,838 American public high school students
(grades 9-12) were enrolled in Italian. By the year
2000, enrollment jumped to 64,098 (+46 percent).
Between 1995 and 1998, at nearly 3,000 U.S. colleges
and universities, the number of students studying Italian
both at the undergraduate and graduate levels rose from
43,760 to 49,287 (+12.6 percent).
The big surprise is that only 40% of those taking
Italian as a foreign language in the United States are
of Italian descent, according to a British research
study. In Pueblo, Colorado, for example, barely 10,000
of the city's 109,000 residents are Italian American
yet all four of the city's public high schools have
taught Italian for more than 20 years. This is a direct
result of communities finding creative ways to introduce
Italian into their local schools.
Around the country, some Sons of Italy chapters
and other Italian American clubs and organizations have
"adopted" a local school, and send their members
into the classroom to teach Italian customs, card games
and even the game of bocce.
To help interested parties launch Italian programs
in their communities, OSIA offers "Start Italian
in Your School!," a free how-to kit with step-by-step
instructions on how to talk to school officials, lobby
the school board, apply for grant money, collect statistics
to show student interest in Italian and other useful
information. OSIA, the Italian Embassy, and other groups
created the kit through COPILAS (Council for the Promotion
of the Italian Language in American Schools), a Washington,
D.C. organization of school administrators and language
teachers that OSIA helped found in 1998. The kit is
available on the OSIA Web site at www.osia.org
under "ITALIAN LANGUAGE STUDIES."
Through effective lobbying and advocacy work, U.S.
Education Authorities are beginning to support the promotion
of the Italian language in American schools. In Illinois,
for example, a partnership between school districts,
the Italian government, the State Board of Education
and local community groups yielded a line item in the
2002 state budget in the amount of $300,000 aimed at
the promotion of the Italian language in schools at
various levels.
The increasing interest in the Italian language
can be attributed to several factors. Italy's economy
is increasingly becoming privatized, providing more
American companies with an entrée into the Italian economy.
An estimated 7,500 American companies do business with
Italy and more than 1,000 U.S. firms have offices in
Italy. Conversely, a growing number of Italian companies
are opening offices in the United States. Furthermore,
Italy is a world leader in graphic design, interior
design, fashion and culinary arts. Those pursuing careers
in these fields greatly benefit from the knowledge of
Italian.
Italian American organizations are working closely
with the Italian government to overcome some of the
most common obstacles in introducing Italian into the
U.S. education system, namely the lack of certified
Italian teachers and the absence of an Italian Advanced
Placement Program in American high schools. Joint scholarship
and exchange programs for students and teachers of the
Italian language are doing much to help create a pool
of certified Italian teachers. In addition, the establishment
of an Advanced Placement program in Italian, which is
currently under review by the College Board, would place
Italian on a level with other commonly taught foreign
languages. The program would also reward meritorious
high school students with university credit, providing
a valuable incentive to continue their Italian studies
at the university level.
The OSIA is the oldest and largest national organization
for people of Italian heritage in the country. Founded
in 1905, today it has 575,000 members and supporters
and a network of 700 chapters throughout the U.S.A.
Michael Greto directs OSIA's youth and Italian language
programs at the organization's national headquarters
in Washington, DC.
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