Chinese Language in the Schools

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	STARTALK Grants and Opportunities Question of the Month Recent and Upcoming Publications

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Happy New Year! It is 4704 according to the Chinese lunar calendar, the Year of the Golden Pig. A pig or boar year is considered lucky and a Golden Pig year, which occurs every 60 years, heralds an extremely lucky and prosperous year. We hope it is a prosperous year in Chinese language initiatives in the United States as excitement and momentum continue to build!

STARTALK

The STARTALK 2007 competition, administered by National Foreign Language Center at the University of Maryland, will focus on summer programs for high school students, and professional development programs for prospective and current teachers for levels K-16. Thirty-four institutions from 22 states and the District of Columbia, including both public and private universities and high schools, and heritage schools, will host these programs. Over 600 teachers and 1144 students are expected to participate this summer; over 400 will enroll in the Arabic programs and over 1350 in Chinese. A complete listing of the 2007 Summer Programs will be available by mid-March. Click here for more information.

Grants and Opportunities

Asia Society and the Oregon K-16 Chinese Flagship Workshop for New Programs: Reserve your spot now for this April 25 to 27 workshop. This technical assistance institute is also co-sponsored by the US Department of Education. FLAP grantees and those interested in starting new Chinese language programs are strongly encouraged to attend. The institute takes place in Portland, Oregon and attendance is limited to the first 100 who register. For more information, visit: AskAsia.org/Chinese State Department Summer Study Abroad Program: Scholarships in China available for K-12 teachers and students enrolled in undergraduate or graduate education programs who plan on teaching Chinese language. This program seeks to provide teachers with the opportunity to study intensive Mandarin language and Chinese as a Foreign Language teaching methodology. Program dates; June 23 to August 5, 2007; Location: Hong Kong Institute of Education and the Yale-New Asia Chinese Language Centre at the Chinese University of Hong Kong; Application deadline: March 26, 2007. Click here for more information. The following opportunities are available from the College Board. Click on the link below for more information on these programs. 2007 Chinese Guest Teacher Program: Apply to host an experienced language teacher from China in your school or district for a period of two to three years. It is an efficient and affordable way to start or expand a Chinese program! Guest teachers will arrive in the U.S. in August 2007. Apply by March 30. 2007 Chinese Bridge Delegation: This program brings school and district leaders to China for a one-week educational tour to learn about the country, its culture and educational system. Participants visit schools and cultural sites, build ties with Chinese and U.S. educators, and gather ideas for starting a Chinese-language program. Trip schedule: June 23 to July 1 or June 24 to July 2. Apply by March 30. Summer Institutes in China: This is a great professional development opportunity for current and prospective teachers of AP Chinese! Each institute includes a pre-AP and/or AP Chinese summer institute and special guest lectures by the host university. Selection priority will be given to full-time Chinese language teachers from accredited U.S. secondary schools. Apply by March 15. Find out more about grants and opportunities>>

Question of the Month

This month's question, "Where can I find a qualified Chinese language teacher?," is one that is being asked across the nation as interest in Chinese language programs continues to grow. Currently there are three sources for teachers of Chinese language: -Graduates of American university teacher preparation programs -Educated Chinese native speakers already living in the U.S. who have or might obtain teaching credentials; or -Chinese nationals who come to the school or district on a short-term visa (one to three years) through a visiting faculty arrangement. The first source, graduates of American university programs, is currently the most limited, with only ten U.S. universities producing teachers of Chinese each year. However, this is changing quickly as more and more add programs to try and meet the growing demand. For a listing of Chinese teacher training programs in the United States, please click here. In the coming months, this newsletter will examine the other two sources of Chinese langauge teachers in-depth. To submit your thoughts, please click here. More Questions? >>

Recent and Upcoming Publications

Wang, Shuhan. Building Societal Capital: Chinese in the US. SpringerLink.com. 9 Jan 2007. Account with SpringerLink.com needed. This article analyzes the demand for Chinese language in the United States. It examines links between the heritage language reality of Chinese and the demand for Chinese as a foreign language. The outlines of a new paradigm for language planning in the US using the Chinese case emerge from this discussion.

We welcome your feedback on this newsletter and encourage you to share information that would be of interest to the wider community. Please pass this newsletter on to others who are interested in Chinese language programs in the schools.

Sincerely,

Shuhan Wang, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Chinese Language Initiatives

Asia Society

email: chinese@askasia.org

web: http://www.askasia.org/chinese

Asia Society reserves the right to edit the questions and responses submitted to this site.

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