Many English people can't speak English?

[Joods]

This thread reminds me of a timewhen sschools in California were seriously contemplating the idea of teaching Ebonics in public schools.

[Minimalist]

91% of American High Schools still offer a foreign language,

But HOW is it done?  Those cutbacks referenced earlier mean, in many cases, that foreign language studies are taken only 3 periods in a week - 45 minutes less time for attendance and other administrative tasks which are dumped on the teachers.  When my kids were in high school they had gym - two times a week and their language class the other 3.  Needless to say, neither of them knows anything about those languages.  I can't even remember which one took Spanish and which took French.