The Rise and Fall of Russian Language Instruction: A Local Perspective
An interview with Dr. Pat Barr-Harrison by Leah Mason, NCLRC Senior Researcher
This month’s feature article takes a closer look at what teachers can do if they fear that their language program is in jeopardy of being cut, through a real-life example from Prince George’s County in Maryland. The following interview with Dr. Pat Barr-Harrison, a former World Language Supervisor from Prince George’s County, tells the story of the survival and continuation of a Russian language education program.
Background: Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) is presently the 18th largest school district in the United States. More than 130,000 students are enrolled in the system which includes 24 high schools, 32 middle schools, 142 elementary schools, and 10 special or vocational centers. Across these schools, 10 languages are offered; French, German, Italian, Latin, Japanese, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Arabic, and American Sign Language.
1. Can you share with us the history of the Russian language program in Prince George’s County?
The Russian program started in the late 1970s at Highpoint High School in PGCPS. It was the first Less Commonly Taught Language (LCTL) to be introduced in the school system. As a result, it was initially an attractive choice for many students interested in language study. Over the last 30 years the program expanded to several high schools in the county and remained effective in at least three of those schools for more than 10 years. As you would do in any school, it is important to market less commonly taught languages, such as Russian, to students. Unfortunately, the introduction and effective marketing of additional LCTLs in the school system (i.e. Italian, Japanese, Arabic, and Chinese) eventually detracted students from the Russian program. Maintaining the Russian language program in PGCPS continues to be a struggle, but it is still surviving in 2 high schools and one middle school. In addition, there are plans to expand the program to a second middle school in the 2010-2011 academic year.
2. What factors caused changes in the development and growth of Russian language programs?
The Russian language programs encountered a variety of factors that contributed to fluctuations in their growth. One factor, which remains a primary concern to both students and parents, is the continuity of the program. Initially, in the middle school where Russian was offered there was not continuity at the feeder high schools. As a result, students were forced to either drop the language when they went to high school or to apply for a transfer to the high school in the county where Russian was taught. Student transfer requests quickly turned into a political issue that sparked debate among parents, teachers, school administrators, and the school board. Eventually a Russian program was established at a high school that provided continuity for the middle school students.
A second factor was the student enrollment in advanced language courses. Small schools could not afford to have multiple advanced level subject areas with only a handful of students in each course. When faced with budget cuts and the decision between continuing to support a calculus class with 7 students or a Russian class with 5 students, those difficult decisions did not usually favor language instruction.
3. How did the introduction of additional languages in primary and secondary schools affect established language programs in PG County?
In PGCPS the introduction of additional LCTLs did affect enrollments in the Russian programs. When the Russian program began, it coincided with a critical time during Cold War discussions between the United States and the Soviet Union. It was ‘trendy’ and ‘attractive’ to academically advanced students. Since then, other languages were introduced to the system resulting in a variety of changes in student language enrollment.
Though Italian isn’t usually referred to as a LCTL, it really is. Italian became very successful in PGCPS for several reasons. The Italian communities in the area were supportive of the program and there was a member of the school board who was Italian providing additional support. Prior to the introduction of Italian language instruction, the schools offered an Italian Culture Club after school. This club engaged students in learning about Italy and Italian culture, which ultimately sparked their interest in learning the Italian language. The first Italian class offered had an enrollment of 28 students! PGCPS now has 7 high schools offering Italian.
Japanese language instruction was really pushed during the 1980s. There was a lot of support and money from the Japanese government, foundations, organizations, and the embassy to promote Japanese in the schools. In addition, Japan’s role as a technological leader reinforced the perception that Japanese was an important language to teach. PGCPS now has 7 high schools offering Japanese.
The focus on Japanese shifted towards Arabic as the United States engaged in wars in the Middle East. At the same time, the Chinese were beginning to export more goods around the world and people realized it was the silent powerhouse coming on the scene. When we began to lose business overseas and Chinese materials were in abundance, we realized that in order to compete in a global marketplace we needed to be able to understand the Chinese culture and speak the language. After 9/11 the Chinese government started putting funds into language instruction in the same way that Japan did in the 1980s. PGCPS now has 3 high schools offering Chinese and one high school offering Arabic.
As a result, in a school system that does not capitalize on language layering, programs like Russian fall along the wayside. Language layering refers to an approach where schools offer students a first world language in the elementary school and then students have the option to continue studying that language while adding a second or third language at additional entry points in middle and/or high school.
4. What was your role in maintaining the position of Russian language education in PG County?
As a supervisor, I was the support system behind teachers and parents. I was the fighter on the inside of the system. When we believed that a program was in jeopardy, we often worked together to find additional ways to support and promote the program. My office and teachers worked on marketing strategies such as:
- recruiting students
- distributing brochures from language specific organizations that emphasized why it was important to learn that particular language
- creating posters advertising the importance of language learning and holding poster contests
- participating in events, such as International night
- taking high school students to middle schools to showcase culture which includes singing, dancing, and tasting food from around the world
5. What efforts to continue the programs were the most successful?
Parental involvement was key to ensuring continuation of the programs in PGCPS. The parents of students enrolled in Russian were organized and legitimized the program. They were consistent in their message to support Russian instruction and persistent that, as taxpayers, students who entered a program offered by the school had the reasonable expectation of continuity in the program through an advanced level of instruction. Parents took it upon themselves to write letters to the school board, attend school board meetings and speak before the board regularly, indicating that they were not going away. In fact, at one point, the parents were planning to go to the newspapers. It was at this point that the school board told the superintendent that they had made a commitment to those parents when they opened up a level 1 course and it was clear that they could not just drop the program. This was a particularly important point because in the state of Maryland students are required to complete two levels of the same foreign language. So, for example, if students are invested in levels 1 and 2 of a language but cannot continue because the program ends, then the school is ultimately denying the students the opportunity to achieve advanced level proficiency in any language, as students are forced to start a second language without adequate time to go beyond level 2 in the second language either.
Student petitions were also effective in swaying the school board. The students wrote petitions about providing continuity in the Russian program and about the necessity to transfer schools in order to gain advanced level instruction. School board members did not want high level students transferring out of their area to attend another high school. As a result, a program was established at Parkdale HS to provide students with a continuous program that did not require students to transfer out of the area. This success was short lived as Japanese, Arabic, and Chinese were eventually introduced at Parkdale. The school board then decided to require a minimum enrollment of 15 students per class in order to continue instruction at that particular level of each language.
6. What recommendations would you give to students, teachers, parents, and/or administrators who want to support the continuation of language programs in their district?
The first priority is to get parents involved in an organized way. Parents can write to the school board and attend meetings. They need to be consistent with their message to the board and be persistent that they do something.
Second, I think the teacher should be proactive with the students to market the program. Whether it is taking high school students to the middle school or middle school students to the elementary school, wherever the program happens to be, students can best demonstrate and share their language learning experiences. Strategies such as passing out brochures and holding a poster contest can help teachers to explain all of the reasons someone should study the language, the importance of it in the US, and how important it could be as an asset in their career.
New teachers should always showcase the cultural aspects of language learning in the school. When teachers post signs, posters, etc. in a foreign language around the school it not only draws attention to the language but also promotes the importance of the language. Participation in International Night highlights language learning in a public forum for parents, administrators, school board members and most importantly other students to see.
All teachers, especially if they are neophytes, should join their language specific associations. In addition to the American Council for Teachers of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), our national organization, each language has it’s own association. These associations are great resources because it is there that teachers get access to current pedagogy and teaching strategies, discover materials to help promote programs, and find opportunities for professional development. By using these resources, as you grow as a teacher you get new ideas that help to maintain your program. When teachers stay current and establish good teaching and assessment practices, programs are more likely to succeed and receive community support.
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