shuhan c. wang, ph.d. deputy director national foreign language center the university of maryland
TRANSCRIPT
FINDING SOLUTIONS: REFORMING WORLD LANGUAGE TEACHER SUPPLY SYSTEM
Shuhan C. Wang, Ph.D.Deputy DirectorNational Foreign Language CenterThe University of Maryland
Overview
Share the outline of the white paper
Explain how this Summit will enrich the content of the white paper
Discuss the next steps after the Summit
Tentative Title of the WL Teacher White Paper
Developing Linguistically and Culturally Competent Citizenry for the US: Expanding a World Language Teacher Supply System for the Global Age
NFLC, CCSSO, and Asia Society convened the first meeting in December 2008
A draft will be revised based on the discussions of this Summit of 100 participants
Changing Contexts: from Local to Global
An interconnected world A knowledge-based and service-
oriented global economy Entrepreneurial innovation and
creativity as premium Economic competitiveness National interests Social justice Diplomacy
Economic Security and a 21st Century Education: Secretary Arne Duncan’s Remark
I believe that the quality of our education system says as much about the long-term health of our economy as the stock market, the unemployment rate and the size of the gross domestic product.
That’s because the quality of our work force and the intellectual breadth and depth of our future leaders is directly related to the quality of education we provide today.
US Chamber of Commerce’s Education and Workforce Summit, November 9, 2009
Rethink Linguistic & Cultural Competency as Capitals:
Human capital
Cultural capital
Social capital(Wang, 2004)
The World is in Quest for High Human Capital
% of World uses 2 or more languages
Monolinguals 1/3
Bilinguals &
Multilinguals 2/3
Crystal, 1997
% of World Using2 or More Languages
Let’s Put Things Into Perspectives
21 of the Top 25 Industrialized Countries Begin
the Study of a World Language in Grades K-5
Sources: Pufahl, Rhodes, & Christian, 2002; Li, 2007; Goto Butler, 2007; Gargesh, 2006; Eurydice, 2005;
Russia-InfoCenter, 2006; Dixon, 2003
Lower Elementary School
UpperElementary School
Middle School
High School
Beginning Age
5-7 8-10 11-13 14
Grade K-2 3-5 6-8 9
Number of Countries
8 12 3 1*US
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World Language Education: EU Countries
Source: Eurydice. 2005. Key Data on Teaching Languages at School in Europe. Eurydice: Brussels,
Belgium.
Number of Countries
Years of Study
3 3
7 6
21 9
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Only 12 US States Require the Study of World Languages
School Level Number of States
Elementary 1
Middle School 1
High School Graduation 6
Elementary & Middle School
1
Elementary, M.S. and H.S. 3
Source: National World Language Education Survey: A State of the States Report in 2009 (Wang, Evans, & Liau,
2009)
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Percentage of US Students Studying World Languages
Middle school & high school data: National Center for Educational Statistics (2000); Post-secondary data: Furman, Goldberg, and Lusin (2007)
14.7% 43.8% 8.6% 1.6%
Middle School
High School
Post-Seconda
ry
Post-Secondar
y(advanced
levels)
21st Century Themes Learning and Innovation Skills Information, Media and Technology Skills Life and Career Skills
Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2008 www.21stcenturyskills.org
21st Century Skills, Education & Competitiveness:
Resource and Policy Guide 21st Century
21st Century Student Outcomes
Core Subjects: English, Reading or Language Arts World languages Arts Mathematics Economics Science Geography History Government and Civics
Framework for 21st Century Learningwww.21stcenturyskills.org
Education Is a Tool for Leveling the Playing Field
Question:
If other nations in the world have invested in developing a linguistically and culturally competent citizenry and workforce, why hasn’t the United States?
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Trends Indicating Greater Demands for World Language Education in the US Greater awareness of the need for a
linguistically and culturally competent citizenry
Increasing popularity of immersion and early language learning programs
Expanded offerings of online or distance learning language learning programs
STARTALK and FLAP grants have generated enthusiasm and planted seeds for programs in less commonly taught languages
To Meet the Demands, We Need:
Elementary and immersion world language teachers
Teachers of Less commonly and high need languages
Online, blended learning, distance learning teachers
Effective teachers for all languages
We Must Reform Our Current Teacher Supply System
Increase the supply: more world language teachers to meet the needs of different programmatic demands
Enhance the effectiveness: effective world language teachers in all classrooms
World Languages:A Teacher Shortage Area!
36 States and the District of Columbia identified
foreign languages/world languages/languages
other than English as teacher shortage areas.
Teacher shortage areas nationwide listing 1990/91 through 2009/10 (Office of Postsecondary Education, US Department of Education, March 2009)
Short-Term Solution: Guest Teachers
At least 20 states use guest teachers from foreign countries
China, Spain, and France are the top three countries of guest teacher origins, followed by Mexico, Taiwan, and Germany
Source: National World Language Education Survey: A State of the States Report in 2009 (Wang, Evans, & Liau, 2009)
Teacher Preparation Programs(National World Language Education Survey: A State of the States Report in 2009 (Wang, Evans, & Liau, 2009)
Spanish; 451
French ; 373
German; 235
Latin; 77
Rus-sian; 67
Ja-panese; 54
Chinese; 50
Italian; 48
Build an Efficient System: Life Cycle of a World Language
Teacher
Recruitment Preparation Certification/Licensure Induction/Mentoring/
Professional Development (Teacher Trainers)
This Summit Provides a Forum to:
Share best practices and innovations Listen to new ideas Learn different ways to remove
barriers
Focus on solutions, not the problems!
Race to the Top—A $4 billion dollar reform program
Four core areas of reform:
High standards Better use of data Improving the quality and
effectiveness of teachers and principals; and
Turning around lowest performing schools
How Can We Provide Input to the Reauthorization of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended by the No Child Left Behind (NLCB)
How to Maximize the Summit
Wednesday and Thursday: Plenary Sessions: Frame the issues Breakout Sessions: Engage in in-depth
discussions and sharing End of Day Team Debriefing: Reflect and
Preview
Friday: Breakout Sessions: Meet and Work Plenary Session: Reflect and Report
Products of the Summit
Set goals for your own institutions
Make recommendations for: Schools and school districts States Teacher education institutions and
professional organizations The federal government NFLC/STARTALK
Next Steps
• NFLC will create a website regarding WL teachers
• Complete the white paper: February 28, 2010
• Include information from all states about WL teacher certification requirements, list institutions of teacher education programs, showcase best practices from districts and states and action plans
• Solicit your input and feedback
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Are We Willing and Able to Increase the Percentage of US Schools Offering World Languages?
Source: National K-12 FL Survey (CAL, 2008)
Elementary School
MiddleSchool
High School
91 %
58 %
25 %
