World Language Programs

Overview of the DoDEA World Language Program

The DoDEA World Language and Culture Program prepares students to meet the challenges of an interdependent global community. Our students are provided opportunities to: recognize the importance of learning foreign languages, engage in other cultures, and to develop proficiency in one or more world languages.

The DoDEA World Language and Culture Program places emphasis on language acquisition in all three modes of communication: Interpersonal, Interpretive (Listening/Speaking), and Presentational (Speaking/Writing). Students receive instruction in the target language and begin to develop communication competencies in the earliest stages of study.

DoDEA high school graduation requirements state that all students must earn at least two credits of the same language in order to be eligible for graduation.

Host Nation Studies - Kindergarten - Grade 8 (Europe and the Pacific)

The DoDEA Host Nation Program is a unique feature of DoDEA's elementary school program outside of the continental United States and is designed to provide students with an introduction to host nation languages, taught by Host Nation Teachers, as an essential experience of the DoDEA curriculum. In addition, with Host Nation Teachers as guides, students participate in activities that build appreciation and understanding of the culture of the country in which they are located.

The DoDEA Host Nation Program offers instruction in the languages and cultures of the following nations or territories for grades K-8: 

  • Bahrain
  • Belgium
  • Cuba
  • England
  • Germany
  • Guam
  • Italy
  • Japan
  • Puerto Rico
  • South Korea
  • Spain
  • The Netherlands
  • Turkey

World Language - Grades 9 - 12

DoDEA offers instruction to students in grades 6-12 in the following world languages: 

  • Arabic
  • Chinese (Mandarin)
  • French
  • German
  • Italian
  • Japanese
  • Korean
  • Spanish
  • Turkish

All DoDEA high schools offer instruction in at least two of these languages; it is up to each school to determine which languages are offered. This determination is based on a variety of considerations such as student and community interest along with human and fiscal resources. The DoDEA Virtual High School offers language instruction in: French, German, Japanese, and Spanish.

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