EUROPEAN CIVIL SOCIETY PLATFORM FOR MULTILINGUALISM (ECSPM) – Status Dec. 2016

1. Council of Europe European Centre for Modern Languages Professional Forum General Assembly Our work as an independent NGO EUROPEAN CIVIL SOCIETY PLATFORM FOR MULTILINGUALISM (ECSPM) – Status Dec. 2016 Prof. Bessie Dendrinos, President of the ECSPM

2. EUROPEAN CIVIL SOCIETY PLATFORM FOR MULTILINGUALISM (ECSPM) • The safekeeping of Europe’s rich linguistic and cultural resources, which are crucial for Europe’s economic development and political integration, is the basic ECSPM’s aim and its main duty. • The ECSPM, launched in 2009, has functioned in an advisory capacity to the European Commission on language and language education policy issues. • From the beginning, the ECSPM viewed multilingualism as a means to cultural development, a product of quality education, a channel to social cohesion, a facilitator to the mobility and employability of European citizens, and an instrument for prosperity.

3. EUROPEAN CIVIL SOCIETY PLATFORM FOR MULTILINGUALISM (ECSPM) Commitments of the ECSPM • Respecting the value of all official EU languages (spoken by 500.7 million citizens) as well as the autochthonous, regional and minority languages (spoken by 40 million Europeans). • Appreciating that multilingualism is synonymous with different ways of thinking and experiencing reality, which is the reason for promoting the learning of different languages, the visibility of different languages in the media, and of sustaining multilingual/ multicultural academic environments in the EU. • Valuing the languages of immigrant communities, and viewing them as untapped resources in the EU, where the demand for language competences at all levels in the workforce is expanding globally and the range and nature of languages being taught is insufficient.

4. EUROPEAN CIVIL SOCIETY PLATFORM FOR MULTILINGUALISM (ECSPM) Commitments (continued) • Recognising and supporting the right of refugees and immigrants, who are not proficient in the host language, for access to basic public services in their own language or through interpretation/translation services. • Supporting the cultivation of a plurilingual ethos of communication which fosters intercultural awareness and encourages intercultural dialogue, promoting cross-linguistic mediation, translanguaging and other forms of intercultural and interlinguistic exchanges.

5. EUROPEAN CIVIL SOCIETY PLATFORM FOR MULTILINGUALISM (ECSPM) Immediate initiatives Concurring with the 20 May 2014 Conclusions of the Council of the European Union that the ability of Europeans to communicate in two languages in addition to their mother tongue should be improved, the ECSPM intends: • To use its networks to make this objective a priority of national education systems. • To advocate the need of using valid tools to get reliable comparable language learning results across the national educational systems, the gap between demand and offer will become more visible.

6. EUROPEAN CIVIL SOCIETY PLATFORM FOR MULTILINGUALISM (ECSPM) Initiatives (continued) • To facilitate the dissemination of findings from European projects and surveys that provide comparative data on foreign language competences and insights into good practices in language teaching and learning. • To collaborate with European institutions, including the ECML, and involve professional bodies to sensitize those responsible for decision-making in national educational systems of the EU about the usefulness of language learning for the development of plurilingual and intercultural communicative competences.

7. EUROPEAN CIVIL SOCIETY PLATFORM FOR MULTILINGUALISM ALTE - Association of Language Testers in Europe ECA - European Council of Artists EEU - Eŭropa Esperanto-Unio EFNIL - European Federation of National Institutions for Language FIPLV - International Federation of Language Teacher Associations FUEN - Federal Union of European Nationalities LAF - Literature Across Frontiers MERCATOR Network of Language Diversity Centres, NPLD Network to Promote Linguistic Diversity. Pending members EALTA – European Association for Language Testing and Assessment EfVET - The European Forum for Technical and Vocational Education and Training George Androulakis Britta Hufeisen Terry Lamb Luisa Martin Rojo Robert Phillipson Suzanne Romaiane Elana Shohamy Tove Skuttnabb Kangas Ruth Wodak Active members of the ECSPM Expert Group for Multilingualism Partner institutions • ECML (European Centre for Modern Languages) • Cracking the Language • The Lifelong Learning Platform – European Civil Society for Education

8. COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION CONCLUSIONS ON MULTILINGUALISM AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF LANGUAGE COMPETENCES Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council meeting 20 May 2014

9. The COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION invites member states to: • 1. Adopt and improve measures aimed at promoting multilingualism and enhancing the quality and efficiency of language learning and teaching, including by teaching at least two languages in addition to the main language(s) of instruction from an early age and by exploring the potential of innovative approaches to the development of language competences. • 2. Make efforts to develop appropriate methods for assessing language proficiency. • 3. Develop measures to support children and adults with migrant backgrounds in learning the language(s) of the host country. • 4. Exploit the potential of the Erasmus+ Programme and the European Structural and Investment Funds to achieve these aims. • 5. Make greater use of European transparency tools and initiatives designed to support and promote language learning, such as the CEFR, Europass, the European Language Portfolio and the European Language Label.

10. The COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION invites member states with the support of the Commission to: • 1. Exchange experiences and best practices via the Open Method of Coordination, in order to • improve the effectiveness and quality of language learning and teaching. • 2. Acknowledge the role which non-formal and informal learning can play in language learning, • by exploring ways of recognising and validating language competences acquired in this way, in line with the 2012 Council Recommendation on the validation of non-formal and informal learning10. • 3. Explore ways of increasing the attractiveness of, and ensuring greater commitment towards language learning, including through the use of ICT and Open Educational Resources, with a view to reducing the number of learners who abandon language studies before attaining an adequate level of proficiency.

11. The COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION invites the Commission to: • 1. Explore the feasibility of assessing language competences in the Member States, including by using national data where available, with the support of a group composed of experts from the Member States and in cooperation with the Standing Group on Indicators and Benchmarks. • 2. Explore with the Member States and Eurostat, within the framework of the European Statistical System and with a view to improving comparability, ways of complementing existing EU data on the number of pupils in secondary education who are studying a third language11 in line with the ambitions of the Barcelona objective and the ET 2020 framework. • 3. Continue and enhance cooperation with other organisations active in this field, such as the Council of Europe and its European Centre for Modern Languages."

12. The role of the European Commission http://ec.europa.eu/languages/policy/index_en.htm THE DIRECTORATE GENERAL FOR EDUCATION AND CULTURE LANGUAGES SUPPORTING LANGUAGE LEARNING AND LINGUISTIC DIVERSITY

13. The Directorate General for Education and Culture (DG EAC) • DG EAC is the branch of the European Commission charged with Education, Training, Youth, Sport, Languages, and Culture . • EAC's activities in the field of languages are framed by the latest Communication on Multilingualism, as well as the Education and Training 2020 Strategy.

14. DG EAC’s responsibilities re: languages • To help support the learning of languages across Europe, as well as promote linguistic diversity. This includes • the development of evidence-based policy • the management of initiatives in support of languages across Europe, most notably under the Erasmus+ programme . • The DG EAC is held accountable to the European Parliament and specifically to the Education and Culture Committee.

15. The European Commission & multilingualism • The different aspects of multilingualism were defined in the New Framework Strategy for Multilingualism. The adoption of the Framework for the Survey on Language Competences, gave a more detailed description of how the Commission should proceed with the measurement of language competence in the Member States. • This initiative has contributed to the development of an evidence base for language policy. • The Commission has also been responsible for managing initiatives in the field of languages, such as Languages Mean Business, and coordinating the language aspects of the funding programme. • A staff working document accompanying the Rethinking Education initiative built on the results of the first European Survey of language competences. In May 2014 the Council adopted Conclusions on multilingualism and the development of language competences.

16. The role of the European Commission Commissioned: • A mapping of national assessment and testing methods in Member States (carried out by Eurydice – published in 2015). • A tender launched for a study on the comparability of different assessment methods – completed in 2015). • Promoting multilingualism under the Erasmus+ programme, notably through language assessment and strategic partnerships, as well as the European Language Label awards. Relevant reports & surveys • Language competences and Benchmarks • Eurobarometer Special Surveys with Factsheets available in all languages • Eurobarometer Report • 2012 Eurydice report on Key data on Teaching Languages at school. • European Survey on Language Competences

17. EACEA and multilingualism • http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/about-eacea_en EDUCATION, AUDIOVISUAL AND CULTURE EXECUTIVE AGENCY (EACEA) The Executive Agency operates under the supervision of its 4 Directorates-General: • Education and Culture • Communications Networks, Content and Technology • Migration and Home Affairs • Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection

18. Responsibilities of EACEA • EACEA is responsible for the management of certain parts of the EU's funding programmes in the fields of education, culture, audiovisual, sport, citizenship and volunteering. The programmes managed by the Agency: • ERASMUS+ • CREATIVE EUROPE • EUROPE FOR CITIZENS • EU AID VOLUNTEERS • INFORMATION ON EDUCATIONAL SYSTEMS AND POLICIES IN EUROPE

19. INFORMATION ON EDUCATIONAL SYSTEMS AND POLICIES IN EUROPE EURYDICE • The Eurydice network supports and facilitates European cooperation in the field of lifelong learning by providing information on education systems and policies in 37 countries and by producing studies on issues common to European education systems. • It consists of: • 41 national units based in 37 countries participating in the Erasmus+ programme • a coordinating unit based in the EACEA in Brussels http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/education/eurydice/index_en.php https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/fpfis/mwikis/eurydice/index.php/Main_Page

20. EURYDICE PUBLICATIONS https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/fpfis/mwikis/eurydice/index.php/Main_Page

21. CENTRE FOR RESEARCH ON EDUCATION AND LIFELONG LEARNING (CRELL) • CRELL monitors the EU2020 headline targets in education and training (ET) (early school leavers and tertiary attainment) and the four related benchmarks. CRELL research focuses on the benefits, outcomes and returns to education and training, including school-to-work transitions, skills mismatch and adult participation in lifelong learning. In addition, CRELL researchers conduct secondary analysis of large scale surveys on teaching practices and on students’ knowledge and skills in different domains. Thus, the centre provides Member States with evidence that informs policy decisions in the field of education and, to that end, its researchers also participate in different expert groups.

22. The role of the European Commission 2015 CRELL REPROT ON LANGUAGES AND EMPLOYABILITY • This report reviews evidence regarding the foreign language competences of Europeans and presents new findings about the relationship between foreign language skills and the likelihood of being in employment. • In view of providing research evidence that can inform European Union (EU) policy initiatives, it reviews studies that frame knowledge of languages as a form of human capital, presents descriptive statistics about language knowledge and investigates whether this knowledge is related to employment chances.

23. The role of the European Commission 2015 CRELL REPROT ON LANGUAGES AND EMPLOYABILITY • Using data from the Adult Education Survey (AES 2011) the Report’s analyses show how many languages adults know and their proficiency level in the two best known languages in the 25 Member States. • The basic goal was to understand whether skills in foreign languages increase the employment rates of 25-64 year-old adults. In addition, the analyses capture different relationships between language skills and employment for specific languages --English, French, German, Russian and Spanish-- and age groups (25-40 and 41-64). • Findings indicate that knowing foreign languages and being proficient in them is an important factor for being employed. This is the case in 17 Member States, although different patterns emerge in different Member States in relation to specific languages, proficiency levels and age groups.

24. There are high concentrations of students who speak a different language at home • In nine countries more than 10% of students are in schools where there are more than 25% of students who do not speak the language of assessment at home (all students and not just immigrant students)

25. There are high concentrations of students who speak a different language at home • 41% of state school pupils in London speak English as an additional language (Language Capital: Mapping the languages of London's schoolchildren, 2012) • 42 languages are now spoken by more than 1,000 pupils across London and 12 languages are spoken by more than 10,000 pupils • Bengali, Urdu and Somali are the top languages spoken • Only four languages have declined in numbers: Gujarati, Panjabi, Greek and Chinese – all established communities • Some schools have over 90% bilingual pupils (LUCIDE project). Local authority areas with the highest proportion of EAL learners in primary schools are Tower Hamlets (76%) and Newham (75%) (School Census, 2013)

26. Overview of literature search results and assessment

27. Key conclusions Schools need to: • take the mother tongue of every child into account, and • support the development of the children's individual multilingualism • This improves their competences in the main language of instruction and other cognitive skills; • boosts self confidence and strengthens identity.