Multilingual Curriculum Integrated Into Public Schools

WHEREAS, American schools today have to transform to reflect the changes in our global economy; and

WHEREAS, multiple studies have uncovered a correlation between academic performance and a second language integrated into the school curriculum; and

WHEREAS, teachers and administrators can take the first step to empower all of their students to succeed-no matter their native language-and embrace the cultural richness and linguistic diversity they bring to the student body; and

WHEREAS, dual-language immersion programs offer one of the most valuable methods of language acquisition; and

WHEREAS, research shows that speaking multiple languages increases cognitive abilities such as brain flexibility, ability to switch between multiple tasks, attention, and conflict management; and

WHEREAS, our students need every tool available to be prepared to compete in a global economy.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and its units will strongly advocate for Federal, State, and local Education Departments to increase funding to integrate multilingual curriculum, which is not limited to Eurocentric languages, but also inclusive of other non-European cultures, dialects, and languages, as a standard, and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the NAACP will join forces with other organizations to encourage public school districts to institute multilingual curriculum into their course of study for all students.