Upper Arlington High School

Program Overview

Our Vision

Language and communication are at the heart of the human experience. The United States must educate students who are equipped linguistically and culturally to communicate successfully in a pluralistic American society and abroad. This imperative envisions a future in which ALL students will develop and maintain proficiency in English and at least one other language.

Supporting this vision are three assumptions about language and culture, learners of language and culture, and language and culture education.

Competence in more than one language and culture enables people to
communicate with other people in other cultures in a variety of settings,
look beyond their customary borders,
develop insight into their own language and culture,
act with greater awareness of self, of other cultures, and their own relationship to those cultures,
gain direct access to additional bodies of knowledge, and
participate more fully in the global community and marketplace.

All students can be successful language and culture learners, and they
must have access to language and culture study that is integrated into the entire school experience,
benefit from the continual development and maintenance of proficiency in more than one language,
learn in a variety of ways and settings,
acquire proficiency at varied rates, and
benefit from beginning second language study as early as possible.

Language and culture education is part of the core curriculum, and it
is tied to program models that incorporate effective strategies, assessment procedures, and technologies,
reflects evolving standards at the national, state, and local levels, and
develops and enhances communication skills and high order thinking skills.


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