More Georgia Students Study Foreign Languages

From http://www.gpb.org/news/2011/07/11/more-students-study-foreign-languages

More Students Study Foreign Languages
By Maura Walz
July 11, 2011

More Georgia students are now studying foreign languages. Two years ago, 17 percent of public high school students were enrolled in language classes. Last year that number jumped to nearly a quarter of all high school students studying global languages.

Jon Valentine, who heads the state education department’s international education programs, says the jump in numbers of students enrolled in language classes was a surprise because the state abandoned its foreign language graduation requirement two years ago when it switched to a single diploma program.

Valentine says that part of the increase can be traced to Georgia's public universities, which now require two years foreign language study for admittance. But he also says high schools are starting to promote language study to a broader range of students.

The number of languages being offered in Georgia's schools is also on the rise. The state has traditionally focused on Spanish, French, Latin and German, but schools in Georgia now offer a total of 16 foreign languages.

Read the full article at http://www.gpb.org/news/2011/07/11/more-students-study-foreign-languages