MD students about to be taught Chinese by the NSA

[jdmyprez_deo_vindice]

I was just told this evening that students in Anne Arundel County, Maryland are going to be taught Chinese starting this fall. The people teaching this? Agents of the NSA! Apparently there is a rush to get this learned and the rush was so great that they could not waste time finding a qualified teacher so the NSA is being brought in to do the job. Gee... wonder what the rush is for.

[Steeleye]

I was just told this evening that students in Anne Arundel County, Maryland are going to be taught Chinese starting this fall. The people teaching this? Agents of the NSA! Apparently there is a rush to get this learned and the rush was so great that they could not waste time finding a qualified teacher so the NSA is being brought in to do the job. Gee... wonder what the rush is for.

You can get a better job speaking Mandarin than you could Spanish, which has become par the course as of late, in order to appease the invading hoards from the south.

[Zippyjuan]

Wonder what has taken so long. We were caught with nobody who could speak middle eastern languages around 9/11 and China has been an emerging power for longer than that. Surely they would have tried to increase the number of language specialists back then. You need cultural experts too.

[ChaosControl]

We're giving MD to the Chinese in order to keep them financing us!

[Reason]

I will be taking Chinese at my university soon.

Seemed like the intelligent thing to do in respect to marketability.

[Objectivist]

No biggie they've been teaching our kids Chinese for some time at the DLI.

[tangent4ronpaul]

I was just told this evening that students in Anne Arundel County, Maryland are going to be taught Chinese starting this fall. The people teaching this? Agents of the NSA! Apparently there is a rush to get this learned and the rush was so great that they could not waste time finding a qualified teacher so the NSA is being brought in to do the job. Gee... wonder what the rush is for.

Interesting. Do you know what schools / grade levels? I'm assuming you are talking about something different than this:

http://www.nsa.gov/careers/opportunities_4_u/students/undergraduate/slp.shtml

Chinese is already taught here at the Hope Chinese School at College Park, Life and Discovery teaches it to pre-K through 8th grade at 8 locations through the state and the Howard County Chinese School for pre-k to 10th graders. There are 43,192 Chinese speakers here (MD), but most are foreign born and their command of English may not be so hot, not to mention their loyalty to this country as opposed to their homeland.

Do you know if it's part of the STARTALK program?

There are apparently some pretty sweet scholarships for learning certain languages:

http://www.thelanguageflagship.org/

btw: both NVTC and CIA are also looking for Chinese speakers.


-t

[jdmyprez_deo_vindice]

Interesting. Do you know what schools / grade levels? I'm assuming you are talking about something different than this:

http://www.nsa.gov/careers/opportunities_4_u/students/undergraduate/slp.shtml

Chinese is already taught here at the Hope Chinese School at College Park, Life and Discovery teaches it to pre-K through 8th grade at 8 locations through the state and the Howard County Chinese School for pre-k to 10th graders. There are 43,192 Chinese speakers here (MD), but most are foreign born and their command of English may not be so hot, not to mention their loyalty to this country as opposed to their homeland.

Do you know if it's part of the STARTALK program?

There are apparently some pretty sweet scholarships for learning certain languages:

http://www.thelanguageflagship.org/

btw: both NVTC and CIA are also looking for Chinese speakers.


-t

It's going to be taught at the high schools. I have no idea what program it is a part of but the teacher I spoke with was somewhat disturbed and indicated that this news came out of nowhere. I am going to try to get some more info on it.

[tangent4ronpaul]

There is a language initiative going on in MD right now. That's probably what this is about.

It's interesting how NSA's language interests change with time. As of Jan 1st they were looking for people who knew these languages: Amharic, Arabic, Azeri, Baluchi, Dari, Dinka, Kurdish, Pashto, Persian-Farsi, Somali, Swahili, Tingrinya, Turkish, Uighur, Urdu, Punjabi, other central and South-Asian languages, and other languages of Sub-Saharan Africa.

Today they are looking for Arabic, Chinese, Dari, Farsi, Pashto, Russian, Turkish, Urdu, Other languages of Sub-Saharan Africa and instructors for Arabic, Chinese, Pashto, Farsi

Granted the lists came from different sources, and the first seems more comprehensive, but it's interesting that Chinese is absent from that list and now suddenly it's a big push. Probably because of the SCO and N. Korea.

Chinese was on the Jan 1 lists for NVTC and CIA and China has been an Area Studies option for Intelligence Studies majors along with Iran(old) and Iraq(old) and Korea(new) for about a year. Interesting that Iraq is still an option since we are "supposedly" getting out of there. What ever are we going to do with those 12 huge military bases we built and the green zone... I'm guessing keep them and use them to attack other countries in the region.

Watching these things can give you hints about what's over the horizon.

-t

[tangent4ronpaul]

In July 2008, the Task Force on the Preservation of Heritage Language Skills in Maryland was established (Chapters 411 & 412, Acts of 2008). Because many children in Maryland speak a language other than English at home and proficiency in such a language is a potential asset to the State for national security, defense, education, business, and foreign trade purposes, the Task Force was charged to find ways to help children retain fluency in the language of their heritage while improving their English language skills as their families assimilate. The Task Force compiled data on actual and potential heritage language speakers in the State. To preserve heritage language skills, it consulted with educators and other experts in the field, identified best practices currently used in the United States and internationally; and considered other innovative and cost-effective methods to achieve its objectives. Also, the Task Force was to develop a method for determining which heritage languages are most needed for future national security and international business requirements. Finally, the Task Force recommended programs and actions it found to be successful at preserving heritage language skills.

Authorization for the Task Force extends through July 31, 2009.

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http://www.edweek.org/login.html?source=http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/03/11/24heritage.h28.html&destination=http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/03/11/24heritage.h28.html&levelId=2100

Maryland Tackles Ways to Tap Into 'Heritage' Languages
Dual-Language Classes, Teacher Certification are Areas Under Pursuit
By Mary Ann Zehr

While other states have enacted policies to discourage students from building on their native-language skills, Maryland has completed an audit of the opportunities the state has to leverage the "heritage language" skills of its residents.

Heritage speakers have been exposed to or speak a language other than English at home.

The Task Force for the Preservation of Heritage Language Skills, which was established by the Maryland General Assembly last year, presented a report Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader to Gov. Martin O’Malley and the legislature Feb. 26 with recommendations for how the state can better support the use of native languages other than English. Lawmakers in...
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http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/NR/exeres/6412C80C-B1DF-4D8E-92AC-7D9C59AB09B4,frameless.htm?Year=2009&Month=2%%3E

Maryland Takes National Lead to Preserve Foreign Language Assets
BALTIMORE, MD (February 26, 2009)
Joint News Release
University of Maryland/Maryland State Department of Education

College Park, Md. – A state task force co-directed by the University of Maryland and the State Department of Education concludes in a new report that the state is “uniquely positioned” to help meet national foreign language needs by tapping its abundant pool of well-educated, bilingual speakers.

The Task Force on the Preservation of Heritage Language Skills, created by the Maryland General Assembly, is the first state-sponsored effort of its kind in the nation.

It recommends a series of steps to harness the bilingual abilities of first, second and third generation Americans that thrive at home or in community settings to recruit teachers and translators. A population strong in both English and other languages is essential for the nation’s security and commerce, it says.

Maryland ranks third among the states for the proportion of foreign-born population with college degrees, the task force reports. The main foreign languages spoken in the state are Spanish, French, Chinese, Korean, Tagalog, German, Russian, Vietnamese and Hindi. About one-third of Maryland’s heritage speakers use Spanish.

“Heritage speakers are the key to catching up with the rest of the world,” says task force chair Catherine Ingold, who directs the University of Maryland’s National Foreign Language Center. “These heritage speakers are the main reservoir from which we can recruit teachers and translators with adequate skills in the critical foreign languages so desperately needed by government and business. This affects our military, homeland security, trade, and national competitiveness. Without an active effort to preserve these skills, they usually disappear within a generation.”
http://www.nflc.org/about_us/people/executive_committee/c_ingold

The report recommends no-cost/low-cost state action to help existing community efforts prevent these skills from withering away as immigrants age and families assimilate.

“Our rapidly changing world has placed a special focus on the importance of language,” said State Superintendent of Schools Nancy S. Grasmick. “The Maryland State Department of Education is poised to collaborate with our school systems to implement ideas that utilize existing programs and resources to expand world language options for our students.”
http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/divisions/superintendent/SuptBio

“In a globalized world, America is economically stronger and more secure when more of our citizens can talk and listen in languages in addition to English,” adds task force member Sen. Jim Rosapepe (D-College Park).
http://www.msa.md.gov/msa/mdmanual/05sen/html/msa12300.html

Rosapepe and Del. Joseline Peña-Melnyk (D-College Park) sponsored the legislation creating the task force, and Gov. Martin O’Malley signed the measure in 2008. The University’s National Foreign Language Center and the Maryland State Department of Education coordinated the task force’s work and sent the Governor its report earlier this year.

FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS

1. Given the state’s demographic profile and proximity to the nation’s capital, Maryland is uniquely positioned to take a leadership role in supporting the language needs of government and industry by developing its community-based skills.

“We spoke to businesses, federal agencies and community groups, and heard loud and clear that the unmet need for bilingual speakers harms the nation in its security and business competitiveness,” says task force member Del. Joseline Peña-Melnyk (D-College Park). “In a number of cases, religious and community organizations are already doing some of this language preservation work. As a start, we should do everything that’s feasible to coordinate and make the most of these existing efforts.”
http://www.msa.md.gov/msa/mdmanual/06hse/html/msa14629.html

2. In surveys with hundreds of Maryland’s cultural heritage speakers and organizations, the task force found a deep commitment to preserve their cultures and languages. For example, task force members learned from private organizations about their programs to teach Chinese, Tamil, Korean and Bengali.

“There’s a sense of urgency in heritage communities because they understand how fragile language skills are – especially among their children,” says Ingold, the task force chair. “As a result, these community-based groups are highly motivated, often quite skilled and have made significant beginnings.”

3. The business sector considers foreign language skills a “valuable asset,” but offers little formal training. Also, the task force reported a “strong correlation between many of Maryland’s heritage languages and the countries engaged in trade with the State,” emphasizing the commercial benefits of heritage language preservation.

4. Federal agencies charged with national security noted a need for specific language skills: Arabic, Pashtu, Russian, Chinese, French, Urdu, Korean, Japanese, Indic, Iranian, and several African languages – areas of strength for Maryland heritage speakers.

TASK FORCE RECOMMENDATIONS

“Heritage speakers are a very large and diverse group in Maryland representing more than 140 languages, and many are extremely well-educated – they have valuable skills to offer that we ought to use and protect,” says Sen. Rosapepe. “The main challenges we face in assuring that Maryland benefits from these skills are leadership, coordination, and innovation – not taxpayer dollars. We need to make better use of existing resources.”

1. Award high school credit by exam. Maryland school districts have authority to award high school credit for foreign language proficiency gained outside school, but demonstrated through testing. Credit by exam would encourage participation in non-public heritage language programs, the report concludes. This is likely to save taxpayer money, Rosapepe says.

2. Advanced English classes for adults. The task force notes the high number of highly educated heritage speakers who need advanced English proficiency training, though most classes only teach basic literacy. Greater availability of advanced classes would improve Maryland workforce competitiveness, the report says.

3. Increase dual immersion programs in Maryland public schools. Maryland has a few intensive dual immersion programs that concentrate on both English and heritage language proficiency. Research demonstrates their effectiveness, the report says, and recommends increasing the number in the state to 10 by 2012, within existing resources.

4. Expand teacher certification. A shortage of certified language teachers is a main obstacle to the acquisition of critical foreign languages. While Maryland has taken steps to expand options for teacher certification, the report calls for further progress.

Other recommendations include helping community organizations find space for language classes, listing Maryland employment opportunities for heritage speakers, expanding library collections of children’s heritage language books, and developing a long-term strategic plan to meet Maryland’s language needs.

COPY OF THE FULL REPORT

The full report is available online:
http://www.newsdesk.umd.edu/pdf/heritagereport.pdf

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Neil Tickner, Media Relations
University of Maryland
301-405-4622, 301-257-0073 (after-hours)
ntickner@umd.edu

William Reinhard, Media Relations
Maryland State Department of Education
410-767-0486
wreinhard@msde.state.md.us

Catherine Ingold, Task Force Chair/ Director
UM National Foreign Language Center
301-405-9844
cwingold@nflc.org

Maryland Senator Jim Rosapepe
202-271-5545

Maryland Delegate Joseline Peña-Melnyk
301-858-3502