Washington Sets Stage for 3rd National Chinese Language Conference

May 2010

Programs and Services

Yu-Lan Lin, Senior Program Director of World Languages, Boston Public Schools

John Pomfret, Journalist for The Washington Post

Preparing students for a shared global future was among the key topics of discussion for 900 educators from across the field of language education as they convened at the third National Chinese Language Conference April 22–24 in Washington, D.C.

Organized by Asia Society and the College Board with the theme “Learning Chinese, Thinking Globally,” the conference kicked off with participants visiting elementary and secondary school classes in Fairfax County (Va.) Public Schools, as well as charter and private schools in Washington that have thriving Chinese language programs.

Later that evening, Gaston Caperton, president of the College Board, and Vishakha Desai, president of Asia Society, cohosted an opening ceremony where Judith McHale, under secretary for public diplomacy and public affairs, welcomed the audience to Washington and shared the vision and plans of our national leaders to encourage U.S. students to learn more about China. Xu Lin, director general of Hanban/Confucius Institute Headquarters, spoke about the organization’s initiatives to support the teaching of Chinese language and culture, and Rep. Rush Holt, a champion in Congress for world language education, also addressed the audience. Acclaimed opera singer Tian Haojiang and local youth dance ensemble the Wong People were featured performers at this formal event.

“Bringing the conference to Washington this year underscores our commitment to raise awareness of world languages and link the work we are doing with the teaching of language to education policy,” said Caperton.

“President Obama and President Hu Jintao [of China] agreed last year to develop a comprehensive program of positive relationships between the U.S. and China,” said Desai. “Nowhere are these partnerships more important than in education.”

Given the great interest in and exponential growth of Chinese language programs in recent years, the conference seeks to not only provide professional development but also support the sustainability of existing programs. Featuring performances of traditional and contemporary arts and culture, the conference offers insight into teaching Chinese language and culture across the curriculum.

“President Obama has set a goal to double U.S. exports within five years,” said plenary participant Ted Dean, vice chair of the board of governors of the American Chamber of Commerce in China and president of the advisory firm BDA. “In the short term, the government can help achieve this goal by working with American companies to open overseas markets and promoting exports, but sustaining export growth in the future requires new investments in education to ensure that America’s workforce is ready to work in companies that export and compete globally.” Dean went on to say that the future competitiveness of America depends on “students today whose education focuses on global competence, including learning foreign languages.”

The conference will conclude with the plenary session titled “Interpreting China for a U.S. Audience: A Conversation Between Journalists James Fallows and John Pomfret.” Both Fallows (The Atlantic) and Pomfret (The Washington Post) have spent years covering and interpreting events in China for an American audience, and together they will discuss China’s education and social realities and aspirations. This conversation is available on ( www.AsiaSociety.org/NCLC).

The College Board launched the Chinese Language and Culture Initiatives in collaboration with Hanban to support the growth of Chinese education in U.S. schools and to build a solid foundation for the AP® Chinese program.