The Huffington Post – Patrick Stephenson
“President Obama is profoundly right to try making community college more accessible. But we need to make studying abroad more accessible, too…I don’t mean three months in the UK, the single biggest destination for our students. I mean nine months in a country where they have to learn the language. Giving high school juniors this chance would have enormous benefits, for several reasons. First, studying abroad can be good for you. According to the Guardian, learning a foreign language makes your brain bigger, even compared to students who studied subjects other than a language. Many others have discussed the advantages of a year abroad, usually in college. But I believe the earlier, the better…Second, a global economy demands global students. We need people who can be at home in different lands and cultures. Learning a foreign language is the first and most important step.”(more)