There is a growing question in today's education system whether or not we should require and when the education system should begin language learning second in the school system. Some say the education system should wait until students reach high school and others say it should start young. Other school officials said they should require it in high school because they will remember the language better. Experts say the education system must start young when the child's brain is like a sponge. The answer to this question is to simply start learning a foreign language from a young age, which is why all public education systems should require a foreign language course during the elementary years of schooling. When a young child begins to learn a second language, it can help them mentally. The first important benefit is the cognitive (thinking) development of the brain. According to The World Book Encyclopedia, small children have an increased ability to learn and speak a different “language” without much thought (Wearing 62). According to Kovacs, when children begin learning a second language at a young age and they grow up where second language use is normal, their brains will have to start deciphering which language to use at a certain time (Kovacs 49 ). For this reason, “bilinguals may have a linguistic ability that allows them to achieve greater mental flexibility” (Weatherford 2). This is why we should start teaching a second language early, because according to Caccavale, president of NNELL, “it has been shown to improve cognitive development. Children who learn a foreign language from early childhood have certain cognitive advantages over children... middle of paper ... language. Dictionary.com full version. Random House, Inc. March 5, 2014..Lauchlan Fraser, Marinella Parisis, and Robert Fadda. “Bilingualism in Sardinia and Scotland: exploring the cognitive benefits of – speaking a “minority” language. International Review of Bilingualism 17.1 (2013): 43-56. Academic research completed. Web. March 4, 2014. Stewart, Janice H. “Foreign Language Study in Elementary Schools: Benefits and Implications for Reading and Mathematics Achievement.” » Journal of Early Childhood Education 33.1 (2005): 11-16. EBSCO host. Internet. March 4, 2014. Wearing, John P., ed. The World Book Encyclopedia. Chicago: World Book, 2013. Weatherford, Jarold H. “Personal Benefits of Studying Foreign Languages.” » Eric Digest, October 1968: 1-4. ERIC collection. Eric-Clearinghouse on Languages ​​and Linguistics.Web. February 19 2014.