| Orlando Schools Administrators Visit China | | | | younger grades. |
| Several Orlando School administrators will be | | | | In surveys conducted in the Orlando Schools |
| among the nearly four hundred curriculum | | | | concerning Advanced Placement courses several |
| developers and administrators from around the | | | | high schools expressed an interest in offering an |
| nation to visit China in an effort to create and | | | | AP Chinese course for the 2006-2007 school |
| expand educational programs that teach Chinese | | | | year. The problem was that many of these |
| language and culture in America. The trip to China | | | | schools do not have a teacher of Chinese nor do |
| will last one week from June 27 through July 5. | | | | they see a way to fund such a program. But that |
| The trip is in cooperation with Hanban, China's | | | | may be changing thanks to new programs that |
| Office of Chinese Language Council International, in | | | | unite the governments and educators of China |
| partnership with the College Board, the Chinese | | | | and the US. In April 2006, the College Board and |
| Language Association of Secondary-Elementary | | | | Hanban announced the formation of a partnership |
| Schools (CLASS), and the National Council of | | | | to build and expand Chinese language programs in |
| State Supervisors for Languages (NCSSFL). The | | | | U.S. schools. The partnership features other |
| visit will focus on the incentives and strategies | | | | programs especially intended to help educators |
| that educators can take back to their own | | | | who would like to create or grow a Chinese |
| schools and use to support the growth of Chinese | | | | language and culture program in their schools or |
| programs. Currently there are only about 24,000 | | | | districts. Because of this program plans have been |
| students in the US studying Chinese compared | | | | made to allow 250 guest teachers from China to |
| with close to 150 million Chinese students studying | | | | work in schools in the United States. Also some |
| English. During the trip, educators will have an | | | | American teachers will begin training at Beijing |
| opportunity to meet with Chinese education | | | | Normal University and Shanghai International |
| leaders, build sister school and city ties, and | | | | Studies University. The first sessions begin this |
| network with other U.S. school leaders who are | | | | summer with sixty teachers from across the |
| bringing Chinese language programs to their | | | | nation attending special intensive courses to gain |
| districts and schools. Orlando Schools want to | | | | state certification to teach Chinese classes for the |
| ensure they are prepared for the new | | | | new school year. |
| opportunities to offer more language education at | | | | |