Task force touts Spanish in K and pre-K

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. - Alli Erickson said her fifth graders at Luff Elementary School learn in a variety of ways.  She said one of those ways is when they talk about what they're learning with one another.

Erickson said several of her students miss out on this experience because the primary language spoken in their homes is Spanish.  If the Independence School District adopts the recommendations of its own Foreign Language Task Force, it could reduce that problem in the future.

The task force is recommending the district begin teaching foreign language in kindergarten and pre-K.  It specified Spanish as the language of choice to be taught in those early grades.

The chairman of the task force says students who learn a foreign language early in life will have an easier time learning a second language or multiple languages when they get older.  He says students with such language abilities will have a great advantage in college and in the future job market.

He said Spanish was chosen because studies show it is the second most commonly spoken language in both Independence and Missouri.