Public schools are bidding adieu to foreign language.

The Center for Applied Linguistics and the National K-12 Foreign Language Resource Center in Iowa say many public schools have been scaling back of eliminating foreign language programs.

Some foreign language education advocates blame the No Child Left Behind act for forcing districts to trim foreign language curricula for more resources to improve student performance in reading and math.

"The fact that there is so much emphasis on math and reading in our schools through No Child Left Behind leaves little time in the school day or few funds to continue to support foreign language," says Marcia Rosenbush, director of the Iowa center. "If No Child Left Behind would be fully funded, the panorama would be different."

Nancy Rhodes, director of foreign language education at the Center for Applied Linguistics, says studies indicate children who learn foreign languages have higher scores in English vocabulary.

Maria Hernandez Ferrier, deputy undersecretary and director of the U.S. DOE's Office of English Language Acquisition, defends the priorities of No Child Left Behind. "To say that schools are cutting back on foreign language because of No Child Left Behind is flawed," she adds. "Even though the mantra out there is 'unfunded mandate,' it's not true. There is $6 billion that states have not even drawn down yet and that money has been there since 2002."