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Longtime lurker here, and someone who's not particularly involved with education as a profession, but did attend a giant, urban public school system back in the day. Here are some thoughts:

1) You're effectively cutting yourself off from a number of literary/cultural traditions by not having some foreign language competency. You always lose something after translations--whether it's prose or poetry.

2) You can't really fully understand or comprehend another culture well without being fluent or proficient in the language with which that particular culture developed alongside. Since most people really don't have the option of learning more than 2-3 languages max, most people will only have a peripheral understanding of one or two additional cultures in addition to their native tongue. Still, even understanding/being fluent in a language in addition to your native tongue will give you a better point of departure when encountering new languages and cultures. Knowing a second language will help you better understand the intricacies and ties between language and culture (which one is usually blinded to when only knowing one language), which can influence how one approaches languages and cultures one does not understand in the future.

3) Cultural understanding is not just wishy-washy, liberal, multi-cultural talk. It's a very useful practical skill. Imagine if your kid is one day asked to head the marketing aspect of the launch of a restaurant chain (or tennis show brand...whatever) in East Asia. Knowing the language and/or culture of whatever country you're working in is not just a matter of networking and business convenience, but the very key to launching a successful marketing campaign.

4) Well-off parents understand this. Manhattan parents (usually well-to-do, Ivy League educated lawyers, bankers and hedge fund managers) are not only sending their kids to private schools where language immersion courses are commonplace at the primary school level, but are actually paying high prices for private tutors to teach their kids Mandarin Chinese. So learn French in school at 5, the start Chinese at 7, and by the time they're in high school, their kids are trilingual+.

5) Irony, of ironies. Everything being cut in public schools are the things that the upper/upper-middle class of the country enjoy.

All the things that actually matter--rigorous science courses with functioning labs, reading actual literature, music and visual arts and now foreign languages--are now the first things that budget officers and righteous pundits want to cut! I'm pretty sure they're not thinking through the consequences.

With all that said, I do agree that foreign language instruction methods in the country are abysmal. You really do want to start as early as possible, and the best way for successful 2nd or 3rd language instruction is still immersion. If you're not forced to use a language or dialect in speech for an extended period of time, you simply won't learn or retain it. 50 minutes, twice a week in French at high school really IS a waste of time--at least for most students.

Welcome, Eric!

Thanks for your extensive and compelling support of world language!  I agree with you that any half-baked implementation of a good idea is a waste of time. It's just a shame when we shoot down the idea in the process. I also loved this quotation: "Irony, of ironies. Everything being cut in public schools are the things that the upper/upper-middle class of the country enjoy."

As a music teacher, I often heard parents say that study of a musical instrument was a "waste of time" because their children were not going to pursue music in college, or make their living as musicians. Unfortunately, our test-based, stripped-down curricula are reinforcing the idea that study of a world language other than English is entirely optional, and the sole purpose of getting an education is to get a job. Preferably one that pays a lot of money.

It's a very America-centric concept--thinking that the rest of the world is pining to be like us (and thus learning English and admiring our institutions). Those days are over, but sometimes, it feels like Americans are the last to realize that. I heard Yong Zhao speak recently, and he outlined the best and quickest ways to bring our schools back to world-class status. First thing on the list? Study of world cultures and languages, plus global travel. We are a smug and insulated nation, educationally.

No it is not a waste.I absolutely think that learning foreign languages is important. We live in a global world, and while some people might not learn enough to communicate in a second language, it teaches them about world cultures.

Nancy and Max--I agree with both of you. There's a disturbing tendency to give up on things because we haven't implemented them well. The value of foreign language instruction, it seems to me, is clear. The value of foreign language pursued in a lackluster, half-hearted way is less apparent. I really like Jay Mathews, but I sure didn't like his dismissal of foreign language.

I'm currently learning my 3rd foreign language making it into my 4th language. Japanese. I spent a year in Japan, and I plan on returning, and attending graduate school there. Anyway the first time I left the US was to goto Germany, and Holland. Then I spent time in Turkey.. Anyway everytime I came back to the US. I've always come to the realization that we're getting left behind. EVerytime I say this a lot of people get angry and loud mouthed, and tell me if I don't like it here then I Should leave it... of course this being said, if the ignorant are allowed a louder voice, and those in power keeping lowering the standards of education. I believe the US is going to start looking like a 3rd world country. With a huge population that is undereducated, and a small minority that's middle class, with an even smaller upper class. People take for granted how well we have it now, but don't realize the work needed to continue to do well. That ignorance, and religious dogma is not going to help us progress forward. I have to say though I believe this trend is not going to stop. So I am not going to raise my children in the US.IF I choose to start a family. I don't think they'll benefit from being in the US. I think they're lives will be harder, and opportunities for them once they become young adults will be less if they grow up in America. FOr those of you who want to stay at an attempt to stop this trend. I commend you, and wish you goodluck. Remember the window to leave is still open, but once the consequences of our actions start becoming clearly visible, then that window will start to grow dimmer. Also I'm not the only young adult who isn't afraid of leaving. I know a lot of people are, and they can't even contemplate how to even go by leaving. They literally think it takes millions of dollars. REally it takes a job offer, and money for a ticket, and an apartment lease :P But don't let anyone know of that secret because expats kinda bank on it :P