Unprecedented Collaboration to Document Language Access During the past two years, as the nation has faced both a global pandemic and an increase in domestic unrest, the need to communicate in all of America’s languages—all the languages spoken across the country—has become even more apparent. Language access has become a central challenge to the equitable … Continue reading America’s Languages Working Group Launches New Online Resource
Coming soon: We Are What We Speak
John Tessitore was honored to sit down with linguist Emily Rae Sabo and her team to discuss the relationship between language access and civil justice. It can be very difficult for English-speakers to navigate legal matters related to family, housing, health care, veterans affairs, debt, employment... It's nearly impossible for people who do not speak … Continue reading Coming soon: We Are What We Speak
Academy Language Report Now National Policy
America's Languages, the final report of the American Academy's Commission on Language Learning, provided the context for the new Department of Education international strategy, as outlined in Succeeding Globally Through International Education and Engagement, unveiled today. The Academy report is cited as a justification for increasing resources for the development of global competencies. First Idea worked … Continue reading Academy Language Report Now National Policy
Americans Are Losing Out Because So Few Speak a Second Language
Former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, a signatory of the American Academy call-to-action, Bridging America's Language Gap, calls for improved language education in an op-ed in the San Francisco Chronicle.
The Power of Third-Party Validation
First Idea helped organize this call-to-action as a strategic tool for teachers, translators, proprietors and publishers to use on the own behalf. The lesson: sometimes the best case you can make for yourself is to let your supporters speak for you.
Language Learning and National Security
Language Learning and National Security An op-ed in Inside Higher Ed by Ambassador Karl Eikenberry, drafted as part of the campaign to support America's Languages, the report of the American Academy's Commission on Language Learning.
Because Multilingualism is an Asset and a Goal Worth Pursuing
We needed to prove that American monolingualism is an insufficient basis for success in an increasingly interconnected world. More positively, and perhaps more importantly, we needed to prove that multilingualism is an asset and a goal worth pursuing.
The Meaning of Bipartisanship
When the constituents are many and the stakes are high, policy becomes a writing exercise. America’s Languages articulates a national strategy for improving language education in the U.S.
First Idea Communications 