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A new US study seeks more support from all levels of the US education system to develop an integrated approach to learning certain "critical need" languages, including Hindi and Chinese. According to a report from the US National Research Council, the federal government should contract out for a project to find new ways to measure foreign language proficiency and to use technology to improve language instruction. Last year President George Bush announced his National Security Language Initiative, which calls for new and expanded measures to help increase the number of Americans learning "critical need" languages like Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, and Farsi. Maintaining national capacity in a broad range of foreign languages would be prudent, allowing the United States to respond to new and unanticipated challenges around the world, the report said. The 14 US Department of Education programmes designed to strengthen education in foreign languages and in international and area studies have made some progress but lack the resources necessary to keep pace with their mission, it said. And the Education Department does not appear to have a master plan for these efforts, which may not bode well for the nation’s security and competitiveness. Also, the Department of Education should consolidate oversight of its foreign language and international education programmes under a high-ranking official who would provide strategic direction and coordinate its work with related activities at other federal agencies. To be most effective, that position should be a presidential appointment and require Senate confirmation, it said. Universities should play key roles, partnering with federal officials to create systems to continuously improve the programmes, the report says. The systems should help develop performance indicators and engage networks of professionals in the field. "The nation’s infrastructure for international and foreign language education is weak at a time when the United States faces unprecedented demands for globally aware citizens and professionals," said Janet L. Norwood, Chair of the study committee, a senior fellow at the Conference Board Inc. "The September 11 attacks brought renewed attention to this topic. However, a comprehensive strategy is essential for building greater knowledge of world cultures and national capacity in a wide range of languages." The 14 education programmes—known as Title VI and Fulbright-Hays programmes—were created 50 years ago following the Soviet Union’s launch of the Sputnik 1 satellite. The surprise launch shocked the United States, leading to large increases in federal spending on education and scientific research. Over the years, the programmes’ scope has grown to encompass undergraduate and graduate education in foreign languages, international studies, and area studies, which focus on particular regions of the world. The programmes also promote greater use of technology, foreign language training and research, and the recruitment of minorities into international service professions. They have produced some positive results, the report says. For example, they have boosted the teaching of more than 250 uncommonly taught languages, such as Mandarin, and developed instructional materials that are used in the federal government, K-12 education, as schooling from Kindergarten to grade 12 is called, and academia. And they have been a catalyst for foreign language and interdisciplinary initiatives in higher education. But funding and staff resources have trailed the programmes’ expanded mission, the report concludes. In addition, national data on the programmes’ impact are lacking, and there have been few well-designed evaluations. The Department of Education is actively working on improving this information. It should ensure that its new data system provides uniform standards for data collection and allows comparisons across programmes and over time, the report says. And performance information should be publicly available. Specifically, the Education Department should no longer allow those who participate in the Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) programme to rate themselves, a practice it currently permits. —IANS
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