School Reform and Use of English in Latin America: Mexico, Costa Rica, and Peru

In today's globalized economy, the United States, the European Union, China, and India compete aggressively for international and regional markets. School reform focusing on innovative and creative approaches to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics is now seen as a sine qua non in creating a competitive workforce, and the teaching of English as a world language is increasingly being viewed the same way. English language–competent individuals in “developing” and “emergent” economies allegedly will enjoy greater human liberties, employability, international mobility, and access to information, as well as facility in a link language. In this scenario, however, most countries in Latin America—one of the fastest-growing market regions of the New World—remain largely invisible. Mexico, Costa Rica, and Peru can serve as representative examples of the ways ...