Demands are high on today's high school students in English, math, social studies and science. So why add foreign language to the mix? Why does New York State require credits in languages other than English for a Regents diploma and advanced degrees?

One answer is to prepare today's youth to communicate with other people around the world. But knowledge of foreign languages has many more specific benefits that begin in high school and follow an individual throughout life.

• Students with foreign language experience do better on the SAT, a test that many universities use as a student-selection criteria. The College Entrance Examination Board reported in a 1992 study that students with four or more years of a foreign language scored higher on the verbal section of the SAT than those who studied four or more years in any other subject.

• Most New York State four-year universities will only accept students who have taken at least two years of a foreign language, and many others require or prefer students with three or more years of a foreign language. In one recent survey of 48 New York universities, 94 percent said that three or more years of study were "optimal" for admission. (29 percent said three years, 40 percent suggested four years and 25 percent preferred five years of language education.)

• Other research shows critical thinking skills, creativity and academic achievement remain significantly higher for those students learning and using a second language.

Students who know other languages have access to a greater number of careers in hospitals, schools, law enforcement agencies, banks, social work organizations, corporations with an international reach, technology firms and government agencies, to name a few. They also can more easily pursue jobs in the travel industry on airlines and cruise ships, and they can work abroad for international businesses or organizations, such as the United Nations and the Peace Corps.

Valuing multilingualism

Beginning with the Class of 2005, there is no more Local Diploma and New York State students must pass at least one year of high school foreign language to graduate with a Regents Diploma. The only exception to this are pupils whose Individual Education Plan (IEP) indicates a disability with foreign languages. Students aiming for the higher-level Advanced Regents Diploma must pass three years of foreign language and a foreign language Regents exam, unless they are enrolled in a five-unit occupational studies, art, or music experience.

This new push on foreign language in schools is part of a larger effort in America today to improve national security and to bolster our country's economic competitiveness. Unfortunately, it is not always easy for young people to see the relevance of multilingualism in their own lives, especially when they don't need a second language in most of their daily interactions.

This is where parents can play an important role - by stressing the value of learning another language, by encouraging their teens to stick with it right through their high school years, and by suggesting that they branch out to other languages if and when they go to college.

Following are some other practical ways that parents can help their teens meet with success in the foreign language classroom.

Be aware of cultural events in your community that feature music, dance or food from the country or countries your child is studying and help your teen find videos, music and books in that language. The more exposure your teen has to the culture, the more the language will be enjoyable and make sense to him or her.

Consider hosting a foreign exchange student. It can be a wonderful way for students to learn about another culture through the experiences of someone their own age.

Encourage your teen to enroll in a summer language immersion program. There's no better way to become fluent in a second language. Ask the foreign language department for more information on these.

Join your teen in learning a new language, or if you already know something about a language, pick up where you left off to show your teen just how important this is to you.