According to DOE.Virginia.gov 3E Readiness webpage: “VOEE high-demand occupation data informs the list of high-wage, high-demand credentials included in the employment indicator as the highest point value, incenting regional high-wage, high-demand careers for students post-graduation.”

It goes without saying that employees that are coveted by employers are thinking people who possess a number of “soft skills.”  According to the U.S. Department of Labor, soft skills are in demand, offering a “competitive edge.” Here are the soft skills as indicated by the U.S. Department of Labor:

• Professionalism or work ethic

• Oral and written communication

• Teamwork and collaboration skills

• Critical thinking or problem-solving skills

Generally, one must go out into the world to learn these soft skills. However, one area of learning can occur in the confines of a classroom that builds each of these sought-after soft skills, and that is the study of a foreign language. Going through the process of learning a foreign language is the development of a “skill” that paves the way to build an “ability” such as coding. Would an employer prefer an employee who has adaptability, brain flexibility, and can easily learn new abilities as they come along, such as new coding languages, the integration of AI and machine learning, and negotiations of meaning in collaborative situations, or would an employer prefer somebody who is limited in scope, has difficulties with interpersonal communication, written communication with humans, and hits up against collaborative dead ends?  Simply search for “the benefits of foreign language learning” in economic journals, cognitive neuroscience journals, linguistic journals, pedagogical journals, etc. and the short and long-term benefits become clear: learning a foreign language creates a more successful coder, a more successful engineer, a more successful entrepreneur. In short, the study of a foreign language is beneficial to promote active listening, problem-solving, critical thinking, memory, adaptability, verbal clarity, interpersonal skills, and teamwork because it is a foundational skill that scaffolds for success in the development of future abilities. Think of foreign language learning as an athlete approaches a sport: is it  beneficial for an athlete to train muscles that are not directly related to their sport in order to develop strength, endurance, and general fitness? Perhaps a sprinter should only sprint, a hockey player should never lift weights, an offensive football player should never understand defense. Limiting the power of foreign language study creates weakness, while going through the process of learning a foreign language establishes the foundation of success because it enhances all other learning, full stop.  In fact, one would be hard-pressed to find any reason why the study of a foreign language is detrimental. If the Virginia Department of Education, the Board of Education, and our esteemed Governor, Glenn Younkin, prioritize workplace readiness and the brain power of Commonwealth citizens, these entities would encourage an earlier start to foreign language learning rather than seeking to remove the full weight of the Seal of Biliteracy from 3E Readiness. 

Foreign language learning is the long game strategy to 3E Readiness; removing it is a myopic approach. Why would the Commonwealth of Virginia want to impose limiting factors on its students?

Elaine Gonzalez

M.Ed.