Editing Medium of instruction (section)

===Western Hemisphere===

====Brazil====
{{unreferenced section|date=March 2016}}
Every public school uses [[Brazilian Portuguese]] as the medium of instruction, but no law prohibits the use of other languages in private schools. Many schools use other European languages (mainly because of the country's European heritage) such as English, German, Italian or French. Public schools also have mandatory English and Spanish but only once or twice a week.

====Canada====
{{further|Languages of Canada|Education in Canada|Official bilingualism in Canada|Language policies of Canada's provinces and territories}}
*In [[Canada]], almost all public schools use either English or French as the medium of instruction; French is standard in the province of [[Quebec]] (a few cities also offering English-language schools) and, along with English, in [[New Brunswick]]. The official language not used as the primary medium of instruction is taught as a mandatory subject in primary school and becomes optional for most secondary school students. Many [[state school|public]] and [[private school]] systems in English jurisdictions also offer [[French immersion]]. In parts of Canada such as the [[Northwest Territories]] and [[Nunavut]], some [[Languages of Canada#Indigenous languages|aboriginal languages]], such as [[Inuinnaqtun]] and [[Tłı̨chǫ language|Tłı̨chǫ]], are also used in local school systems. [[Heritage language]]s ([[immigrant language|immigrant]] or [[diaspora language]]s) are as also common across Canada in public and private schools.

====United States====
[[English language|English]] is used, but in some schools, Spanish, French (in [[Louisiana]]), [[Hawaiian language|Hawaiian]] (in [[Hawaii]]), and local [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native American]]/American Indian languages are used as well.
:*The [[Cherokee Nation]] instigated a 10-year language preservation plan that involved growing new fluent speakers of the [[Cherokee language]] from childhood on up through school immersion programs as well as a collaborative community effort to continue to use the language at home.<ref>{{Cite web| title = Native Now : Language: Cherokee| work = We Shall Remain - American Experience - PBS| access-date = April 9, 2014| year = 2008| url = https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/weshallremain/native_now/language_cherokee| archive-date = April 7, 2014| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140407132754/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/weshallremain/native_now/language_cherokee| url-status = dead}}</ref> This plan was part of an ambitious goal that in 50 years, 80% or more of the Cherokee people will be fluent in the language.<ref name=preservation/> The [[Cherokee Preservation Foundation]] has invested $3 million into opening schools, training teachers, and developing curricula for language education, as well as initiating community gatherings where the language can be actively used.<ref name=preservation>{{Cite web|title=Cherokee Language Revitalization |work=Cherokee Preservation Foundation |access-date=April 9, 2014 |year=2014 |url=http://www.cherokeepreservationfdn.org/cultural-preservation-connect/major-programs-and-initiatives/cherokee-language-revitalization |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407070520/http://www.cherokeepreservationfdn.org/cultural-preservation-connect/major-programs-and-initiatives/cherokee-language-revitalization |archive-date=April 7, 2014 }}</ref> Formed in 2006, the Kituwah Preservation & Education Program (KPEP) on the [[Qualla Boundary]] focuses on language immersion programs for children from birth to fifth grade, developing cultural resources for the general public and community language programs to foster the Cherokee language among adults.<ref name="kpep">Kituwah Preservation & Education Program Powerpoint, by Renissa Walker (2012)'. 2012. Print.</ref> There is also a Cherokee language immersion school in Tahlequah, Oklahoma that educates students from pre-school through eighth grade.<ref>{{Cite news| last = Chavez, Will| title = Immersion students win trophies at language fair| work = Cherokeephoenix.org| access-date = April 8, 2013| date = April 5, 2012| url = http://www.cherokeephoenix.org/Article/Index/6142}}</ref>