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© Newswise.
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U.S. Critical Foreign Languages Effort Doubling: 32 States; 5 Languages
Newswise — A 32-state, national security effort to train both teens and teachers in critical foreign languages will more than double in size and scope this summer and include younger students, says the program's coordinator at the University of Maryland. The STARTALK Program - administered by the University of Maryland National Foreign Language Center with funding from the U.S. Director of National Intelligence and the Department of Defense - will offer 81 programs this summer in five critical languages: Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Persian and Urdu, with space for more than 2,600 students and nearly 1,100 teachers. (See below for program listing by state.) Last summer the program debuted with 34 programs in 21 states, taught only Arabic and Chinese, involved about one-third as many participants and did not include middle school-age students. Teaching critical foreign languages at a much younger age along with consistent follow-up instruction can help increase students' ultimate mastery of the subject. STARTALK aims to jumpstart the nation's limited capability to do this. The program targets current and prospective teachers to prepare them for instruction in K through 16 environments, as well as middle and high school students. "Many European and Asian nations start foreign language instruction in the fourth grade, and the truth is that the United States just doesn't have the ability to do this on a wide scale right now," says Catherine Ingold, STARTALK administrator and director of the University of Maryland National Foreign Language Center. "As a nation, we lack many of the basics needed to teach critical foreign languages to younger students, and that hurts us across the board - in national security, business, government and daily life," Ingold adds. "We need to train teachers to work with younger students, and we have to develop classroom materials of the highest quality. The good news is that there's a hunger for this kind of instruction. Our success last year demonstrates that." CULTURAL HERITAGE SPEAKERS Most of the STARTALK programs recruit heritage speakers, people with a cultural connection to a language, as both students and teachers. The children may have a little exposure to the language through their family experiences, or may be starting from scratch, but wish to learn more about their roots. Cultural heritage speakers proficient in the language also represent a vital pool of potential teachers. But, they may lack teaching skills or the necessary certification. STARTALK PROGRAMS The programs vary widely from summer camp settings to a more traditional classroom. Some programs offer total immersion, while others offer more modest training to give students a head start at learning an unfamiliar foreign language. Some programs offer a bridge for students so they dont lose ground over a long summer. Many offer separate but simultaneous programs to train both students and teachers. This is especially important for the teachers who often need the experience in order to get state certification. "The one constant is quality," Ingold says. "We're building up the nation's capability to meet future security and economic needs. So it's important that we use the best techniques and materials and do the job right." FUNDING The $10 million funding for STARTALK comes from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the U.S. Department of Defense. The University of Maryland National Foreign Language Center coordinates the selection and awarding of grants to program providers. It also works to maintain high standards in all the programs and teaching materials. STARTALK is one of more than a dozen programs in the National Security Language Initiative announced by President Bush in 2006. The Initiative seeks to expand and improve the teaching and learning of strategically important world languages that are not widely taught in the United States. The University of Maryland National Foreign Language Center is dedicated to understanding and addressing the nation's needs for languages other than English. The Center implements that mission through intensive and innovative strategic planning, research and development in cooperation with academic institutions and organizations in the United States and abroad. The University of Maryland is also home to National Flagship Programs in Arabic and Persian, a national language laboratory, the University of Maryland Center for Advanced Study of Language, the Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute Center for Persian Studies and other major language research and education initiatives. PROGRAMS LISTED BY STATE Note: Participants from all 81 programs will be in Washington, D.C. for training, June 8-June 10 Complete listing by state: http://www.newsdesk.umd.edu/Startalk/statelisting.cfm State Index ARIZONA (2 programs): Prescott and Tempe
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