Beginning in the 2028-29 school year, Illinois high schoolers will have a two-year world language graduation requirement. Incredibly, a bipartisan bill has emerged to get rid of this requirement before it even kicks off.
House Bill 4334 is sponsored by state Reps. Rick Ryan, D-Evergreen Park, and Travis Weaver, R-Edwards. The bill, filed in January, isn’t actively making its way through the statehouse, but it is picking up new sponsors, most recently Metro East state Rep. David Friess, R-Red Bud, who signed on March 18.
Whether or not this bill moves this spring, it presents an opportunity for us to point out the real benefits of language study. Students could still choose to study a language, but without a requirement we’re guessing many won’t, particularly without strong guidance.
Yet research links world-language study to stronger literacy and language development, as well as higher achievement in some other academic areas. Some research also links language study to gains in areas such as problem-solving and memory.
On top of the benefits, many universities still require or recommend language study, and a rigorous high school course load remains an important part of admissions review at schools including the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and private institutions such as Northwestern University and the University of Chicago. Cutting off the pipeline and indicating that language study is unimportant automatically disadvantages kids who need help figuring out how to enrich their academic experience and get their resumes ready for higher education, should they want to take that path. Even if kids aren’t headed to a university, multilingual ability is an economic asset in many fields, including health care and customer service.
Supporters argue the requirement limits students’ ability to pursue other coursework, including career and technical education. If lawmakers want some flexibility, they already have a better model. Another bill filed in the Senate by state Sen. Chris Balkema, R-Channahon, would maintain Illinois’ upcoming language requirement, but creates two ways to opt out: a district-level waiver based on lack of teaching staff or an individual exemption for kids on a non-college pathway. In other words, giving reasonable levers for constrained districts and kids who have a clear career pathway that doesn’t require language study. This makes much more sense as a way to address legitimate concerns.
Many kids don’t want to study mathematics, history or English, either, and yet we retain statewide requirements for these foundational disciplines. At its core, this debate is a value judgment about what belongs in a basic high school education. It also determines who gets exposure. The risk is that language study becomes more stratified, remaining common in private schools and affluent districts while shrinking elsewhere. Language options in lower-income districts, on the other hand, are likely to be reduced or limited as nonessential costs.
Some supporters of eliminating the language requirement argue that advances in technology are making language study less necessary.
“You can buy Meta-glasses and look at somebody speaking a different language and it instantly translates it into your ear,” Weaver told The Center Square.
By that logic, perhaps we should also eliminate math classes since calculators can do the job faster. But education isn’t just about output. If anything, AI raises the premium on uniquely human skills, including communication and cultural literacy.
This seems to us like a quiet lowering of expectations for Illinois students amid broader concerns about declining academic standards.
We say exposure to a different language can help anchor our ability to think and communicate effectively no matter what we do or where we go.
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