Empirical evidence reveals the following benefits to learning a second language:

• Has a positive effect on intellectual growth and enriches and enhances a child’s mental development, as shown by results in other coursework and standardized tests
• Leaves students with more flexibility in thinking, greater sensitivity to language, and a better ear for listening
• Improves a child’s understanding of his or her native language
• Improves a child’s ability to learn another foreign language
• Opens the door to other cultures and helps a child understand and appreciate people from other countries
• Increases job opportunities in careers where knowing another language is and asset*

*(As reported by the Center for Applied Linguistics and the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages – http://actfl.org/i4a/ pages/index.cfm?pageid=4524)