When Rachel Martinez-Regan graduated from Corvallis High School last month, her diploma had a little something extra—an embossed seal certifying that she is bilingual.

Martinez-Regan is one of more than a dozen students at the Oregon high school who earned the distinction based on their proficiency in English and Spanish. Martinez-Regan said the dual-language program was academically challenging but she’s certain it will give her career plans a boost. “I’m thinking of becoming a lawyer, to give the Spanish-speaking community a voice,”said Martinez-Regan, who is half Latina but did not speak Spanish before enrolling in the program. She will attend Yale University this fall.

Dual-language programs are gaining in popularity across the country as employers seek bilingual, bicultural workers. Increasingly, parents also view bilingualism as necessary for their children’s success in a globalized world.

“The fact that our program is Mandarin Chinese was nice since it’s the fastest-growing language in the business world,”said Fraser, Mich., parent Charbel Salem. Salem’s twin fifth-grade sons have participated in a partial immersion program at their public elementary school since kindergarten. Salem is impressed with how easily the boys picked up the unfamiliar language, particularly considering that neither Salem nor his wife speak it. The twins spend half of their day with a native Chinese teacher, the other half with an English-speaking teacher. More.

See: WORLD

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