Although more U.S. jobs are playing out on the global stage, a recent study shows that American students, including those from North Carolina, might not be prepared to meet the demands.
The Asia Society, the Longview Foundation and SAS Institute compiled a study called “Mapping the Nation,” highlighting the United States’ need for a more globally focused curriculum for students.
The study revealed that in only one in five states are more than 25 percent of high school students learning a foreign language. Foreign languages are not required to graduate from some N.C. public high schools — but a minimum of two credits is required for admission to a UNC-system school.
Less than 1 percent of North Carolina high school students and 2 percent of college students participate in study abroad programs.
Stephanie Caplan, spokeswoman of the UNC system’s Center for International Understanding, said the lack of global awareness in education is a problem because students need a global perspective to be fully engaged in a workforce that revolves around a global economy.
“We certainly agree 100 percent that our students need to learn multiple languages,” she said, “More importantly, they need to be able to interact with multinational, multicultural groups.”
The study also showed the number of jobs in North Carolina tied to international trade has increased 162 percent since 1992.
“No matter what job or career they chose, it is a global economy, and they are going to have to work in teams and compete and cooperate with people all across the world,” Caplan said.
Caplan said some of the obstacles schools face when trying to develop a globalized curriculum include finding teachers who are proficient in critical languages and adding more topics to an already crowded curriculum.
