Expanding Chinese Language Capacity in the United States:Opportunities and Challenges
Vivien Stewart
Vice President, Education, Asia Society
Establishing K-12 Critical Language Programs WorkshopPortland, Oregon
April 26, 2007
Why Chinese?
Economic: China accounts for 1/3 of global economic growth and presents important new markets for U.S. companies
Linguistic: Chinese is the most widely spoken first language in the world
Political: China’s political importance in the Asia-Pacific region is critical
Cultural: China has a long history of contributions in literature, philosophy, religion, film, dance, art, music, cuisine, and medicine
Demographic: In the U.S., the Asian and Pacific Islander population is projected to grow nearly 70 percent by 2020
Technology: China is the world's second-largest Internet market after the United States with more than 110 million users.
Howard Schultz, Chairman, Starbucks
China's emerging as one of the centers of the world, if not the center of the world….
If my kids were of very young ages today, I would be asking them, and encouraging
them, to learn Chinese.
December 25, 2005Seattle Times
Current Status of Chinese Instruction
Language Enrollment Percent of Total
Spanish 746,267 53.50%
French 201,979 14.50%
German 91,100 6.50%
Italian 63,899 4.60%
Japanese 52,238 3.70%
Chinese 34,153 2.40%
Foreign Language Enrollments in United States Institutions of Higher Education, 2002
ADFL Bulletin, Modern Language Association Survey
Current Status of Chinese Instruction
Foreign Language Enrollments in Public Secondary Schools (Grades 7–12), 2000
American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages*and Princeton University Survey
Language Enrollment Percentage of Total
Spanish 4,757,373 68.70%
French 1,270,510 18.30%
German 332,980 4.80%
Italian 79,006 1.10%
Japanese 53,889 0.80%
Chinese 24,000* 0.30%
Current Status of Chinese Instruction
Current Status of Chinese Instruction Chinese Heritage Schools
National Council of Associations of Chinese Language Schools (NCACLS) | www.ncacls.org
Chinese School Association in the United States (CSAUS) | www.csaus.org
Over 150,000 students enrolled
Challenges
“Expanding Chinese Language Capacity in the
United States”
What would it take to have 5 percent of high school students
learning Chinese by 2015?
Challenges
1. Lack of teachers is the key bottleneckLess than 10 institutions prepare Chinese language
teachers
Challenges
2. Lack of Knowledge and Resources Raise awareness of importance of languages
Share best practices from existing programs
Seed funds for schools
Challenges
3. Lack of Materials and Delivery Systems Materials supply growing but gaps, e.g.
elementary schools, heritage learners, immersion programs
Need online and distance learning programs
Research on effective programs
Opportunities and New InitiativesRapidly growing interest!
2,400 schools want to offer AP Chinese
Opportunities and New Initiatives National Security Language Initiative 2006
Departments of State, Defense, and Education
$114 million to be requested in FY07
Three Broad Goals: 1. Expand critical need languages (e.g., Arabic, Chinese,
Russian, Hindi, Farsi, and others) and start at a younger age
2. Increase high proficiency in a language, particularly on critical languages through K-16 language study pipelines
3. Increase the number of foreign language teachers and the resources for them
Opportunities and New Initiatives Foreign Language Assistance Program (FLAP)
2006 No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 Purpose: To improve the quality and extent of foreign
language instruction, particularly in elementary schools.
Priority: Critical languages
State Education Agencies grants support systemic approaches to improving foreign language learning in the State; Range of awards $50,000 to $400,000
Local Education Agencies grants support programs of Local school districts; Range of awards $50,000 to $300,000
Opportunities and New Initiatives
FLAP Grantees (States) Ohio: K-6 Mandarin Program (2,000
students in pilot year)
North Carolina: Development of Online Mandarin courses (25 students per year in pilot)
Wisconsin: Mandarin and Arabic programs K-12. (1,800 students by end of grant period)
Opportunities and New Initiatives College Board-Hanban Agreement
The College Board Advanced Placement (AP) Chinese Language and Culture Course
Bring guest teachers from China to American classrooms
Provide financial assistance to American teacher-candidates in support of their efforts to attain state certification to teach Chinese
Support the development of instructional materials from elementary school through Advanced Placement courses
Opportunities and New Initiatives K-16 Flagship at the University of Oregon and
Portland Public School District--National Flagship Language Initiative | www.nflc.org/nfl
Asia SocietyFive Year Plan of Chinese Language Initiatives
Goal 1: Create a Support System for New School Programs
Goal 2: Strengthen and Expand Existing Programs
Goal 3: Increase the Number and Expertise of U.S. Teachers of Chinese
Goal 4: Promote Leadership and Communication
Goal 5: Increase Demand for Chinese Language Programs
Resources
See AskAsia.org/Chinese
Resources: www.AskAsia.org/Chinese
Resources:Chinese Language Newsletter
Subscribe at: http://AskAsia.org/Chinese/