| Plenary Sessions: Chinese Ambassador and Other VIPs to Speak |
We are pleased to announce a list of distinguished speakers to address the national audience at the Conference, in order of appearance in the conference program:
- Gaston Caperton, President of the College Board, former Governor of West Virginia
- Rush Holt, U.S. Representative of New Jersey
- Xu Lin, Director General, The Office of Chinese Language Council International (Hanban)
- Harry Harding, Professor, George Washington University
- John Thornton, Chair of the Board, Brookings Institution (invited)
- Gene Wilhoit, Executive Director, the Council of Chief State School Officers
- Susan Zelman, Ohio Education Commissioner
- Erik Paulsen, State Representative of Minnesota
- Robert Davis Jr., Director of the Chicago Public Schools' Chinese language initiative
- His Excellency Zhou Wenzhong, Chinese Ambassador to the United States
- Vishakha N. Desai, President of the Asia Society
- Gordon Gee, President of the Ohio State University
- Margarita Pinkos, Assistant Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Education (invited)
- David Plack, Special Assistant to the Deputy Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of State (invited)
- Betsi Shays, Coordinator, National Security Language Initiatives
- Bob Slater, Director, National Security Education Program
These speakers will talk about issues ranging from the importance of U.S.-China relations to the value of developing global competence of U.S. students. Federal, state and local initiatives to promote Chinese and other critical languages will also be showcased. Click here to see the full program. |
| Breakout Sessions: Expert Presentations, Roundtables, Workshops |
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Breakout Sessions are organized under nine strands: Programing; Curriculum; Assessment; Teachers; Technology; Exchanges and Study Abroad; Materials; Outreach, Advocacy, Policy and Funding; and Research.
Breakout sessions are divided into three formats. In an Expert Presentation, you will hear experts provide detailed information on a given topic; in a Roundtable session, you will be able to interact with multiple presenters, who are assigned to specific info tables; and in a Workshop, you will have hands-on opportunities to probe a particular issue.
Please click here to view the full program. |
| Making Connections |
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Besides plenary and breakout sessions, this Conference provides a unique forum for you to make connections in the field. In short, there is something for everyone.
For example, representatives of the Guest Teacher program, FLAP grantees, Chinese Language Flagships, STARTALK grantees, Confucius Institutes, and State Department overseas programs will be on hand to share experiences and resources. |
| Optional Pre-Conference School Visits |
In the morning of Thursday, April 17 you will have the opportunity to visit a variety of Chinese language and culture programs in the D.C. Public Schools, Fairfax County Public Schools, Montgomery County Public Schools, as well as independent schools -- Landon School and Sidwell Friend's School. Various routes will include visits to elementary, middle or high schools, including AP and IB programs.
Note: These site visits are popular, but space is extremely limited. Sign up early to secure a spot. Click here to read route details. Conference registration is a prerequisite, but separate sign-up for these site visits is required. Spaces will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. |
| Earn Professional Development Credit |
| Continuing Education Units (CEUs) from the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) will be awarded for participation in the conference. Participants who attend the Pre-Conference School Visits (.35 CEU) and all breakout sessions during the main conference (.65 CEU) will be eligible to earn one CEU (10 contact hours). |
| Sponsors |
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The Office of Chinese Language Council International (Hanban), Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States of America, STARTALK Project, National Foreign Language Center at the University of Maryland, Educational Testing Service (ETS). |
| Collaborators |
American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, CAIS Institute, Chinese Language Association of Secondary-Elementary Schools, Chinese Language Flagship Programs, Chinese Language Teachers Association, Confucius Institutes, District of Columbia Public Schools, Fairfax County Public Schools, Heritage Language Communities, Landon School, Montgomery County Public Schools, National Association of District Supervisors of Foreign Languages, National Council of State Supervisors for Languages, National Foreign Language Center at the University of Maryland, the Office of Chinese Language Council International (Hanban), Sidwell Friend's School, STARTALK Project, U.S. Department of Education.
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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 C. Wang, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Chinese Language Initiatives
Asia Society
email: chinese@askasia.org
web: www.askasia.org/chinese | |
