| New! Ambassador's Reception on April 18 Following the Ambassador's Speech |
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We are pleased to announce the Chinese Embassy is going to host an Ambassador's Reception on Friday, April 18, at 5:45 PM, after the speeches given by Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong and President Gordon Gee of Ohio State University. This is a great opportunity to come to meet the staff of the Embassy and Hanban, and mingle with educators involved in Chinese language education in the United States.
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| Visit Exhibitors for Materials and Educational Programs, and Much More |
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Two dozen exhibitors will showcase the latest books, prints, teaching resources and materials, educational software, as well as study abroad and exchange programs. To see a list of exhibitors, please click here. |
| Updated Conference Program with Breakout Session and Speaker Details |
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Visit the Conference website for updates on breakout session and speaker details. Click here to see the full program.
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 work in small groups to probe a particular issue. |
| School Visits Reach Capacity - Wait List Available |
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 As we predicted, school visits would be a popular conference feature. All 14 school visits are fully booked. We are maintaining a waiting list. To read details about the school visits and put yourself on the waiting list, click here. |
| 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. |
| 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). |
| Conference Sponsors |
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Co-organizers of this Conference, Asia Society and the College Board would like to acknowledge the generous support of the following organizations and institutions: 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). |
| Conference Collaborators |
Asia Society and the College Board would also like to recognize the invaluable assistance from our Conference 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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| New! STARTALK 2008 Programs for Students and Teachers Announced |
| Looking for Chinese language programs or professional development programs for this summer? STARTALK recently announced its Summer 2008 Programs. This year, some programs will accept middle school student as well high school students. Click here for details. |
| New! FLAP To Have Competition in 2008 |
| The Department of Education expects to announce a competition to fund a small number of new Foreign Language Assistance Program (FLAP) grants in fiscal year 2008. At this time we are unable to provide specific details about the competition. The FLAP application notice is expected to be published in the Federal Register and at www.grants.gov by the end of March. Please register at www.grants.gov. The reference number for the FLAP LEA program is 84.293. If you have registered in the past, your registration needs to be updated annually.
Note: The 2008 application will not be identical to the 2006. Please note the 2008 Appropriations Act language for the FLAP program:"that $3,000,000 of the funds available for the Foreign Language Assistance Program shall be available for 5-year grants to local educational agencies that would work in partnership with one or more institutions of higher education to establish or expand articulated programs of study in languages critical to United States national security that will enable successful students to advance from elementary school through college to achieve a superior level of proficiency in those languages." Please also note that the Forecast of Funding Opportunities site at www.ed.gov gives the Estimated Number of Awards as 12.
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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 | |
