In the News Archive

Here are links to news articles and press releases we have posted on the site.

View In the News 2003-2005

2006

Visitors from South Africa at Roosevelt High School, Seattle
Seattle Post Intelligencer (December 14, 2006
This five-year-old program, Hands for a Bridge, twists the classic student exchange, in which high school-age youths visit foreign countries to broaden their own worldviews. These South African students travel to Seattle, and Seattle teenagers will visit South Africa, to help each other learn about divides, racial, cultural and economic, in part by engaging those from nations familiar with conflict.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/295902_roosevelt14.html

How to Bring Our Schools Out of the 20th Century
Time Magazine (December 9, 2006)
The world has changed, but the American classroom, for the most part, hasn't. Now educators are starting to look at what must be done to make sure our kids make the grade in the new global economy.... This is a story about the big public conversation the nation is not having about education, the one that will ultimately determine not merely whether some fraction of our children get "left behind" but also whether an entire generation of kids will fail to make the grade in the global economy because they can't think their way through abstract problems, work in teams, distinguish good information from bad or speak a language other than English.
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1568429,00.html

Growing Interest in Mandarin among Non-Asians
The New York Times (November 29, 2006)
Chinese language classes are increasingly popular across the country in public schools. Even so-called heritage schools, which have historically provided immigrant children with Chinese language and culture instruction on weekends and after public school, are gaining non-Asian students.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/29/education/29mandarin.html

Teaching Foreign Languages: Understanding the World and Helping Our Students Compete US Department of Education broadcast. “When it comes to foreign languages, our students get started too late—and too few study critical languages. We can and must turn this around." -U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings. View the Archived Program... (Windows Media Player)
View the Archived Program... (Real Media)

School district to add more language-immersion programs
Seattle PI - Seattle, WA (November 10, 2006)
Seattle School District officials announced an ambitious plan to create eight more language-immersion programs in the next five years modeled on the award-winning John Stanford International School.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/291871_international10.html

In schools, learning Chinese isn't foreign anymore
Seattle Times - Seattle, WA (September 12, 2006)
Beauchamp-Mustafaga, who grew up speaking only English, is one of a growing number of U.S. students enrolling in Chinese instead of in languages such as French and Spanish.
As "globalization" becomes a household word, China's political and economic prowess is persuading more Americans to learn Mandarin, the most common dialect of Chinese, said Michele Anciaux Aoki, project director for the Washington State Coalition for International Education.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/
2003254595_chinese12m.html

Legislation Introduced to Dramatically Expand Study Abroad
U.S. Newswire (press release) - Washington, DC (July 27, 2006)
The Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Act, introduced yesterday by Sens. Dick Durbin (D–Ill.) and Norm Coleman (R–Minn.), offers a historic opportunity to ensure that future generations of Americans are prepared with the international skills and knowledge they will need to effectively manage foreign-policy challenges and to succeed in an interconnected world. It proposes an innovative partnership between the federal government and higher education to dramatically expand participation by U.S. undergraduates in study abroad programs.
http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=69879

Miss Washington to be spokeswoman for International Ed
Now that Eddings has been named Miss Washington, she plans to follow through with the goals she set in the event she was crowned. She plans to launch a national campaign for international education — her platform issue — and intends to become the national spokeswoman for International Education and Resource Network (iEARN) USA. She also plans to team up with Rotary International to promote the organization’s student exchange, group study exchange and internationally focused education programs.
http://www.centralkitsapreporter.com search for Miss Washington
or view her blog: http://www.misswashington.org/miss_site/blog.asp

Jackson School Ties for First in Foreign-Study Grants
The U.S. Department of Education has awarded the University of Washington eight grants worth almost $15 million that recognize eight foreign-study areas at the Jackson School of International Studies as among the best in the nation. (July 18, 2006)
http://uwnews.org/uweek/uweekarticle.asp?articleID=25612

Lincoln expands its language reach (July 18, 2006)
Listen for the greeting “ni hao,” – “hello” in Chinese – among Lincoln High School students this fall. (The News Tribune - Tacoma)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/5952909p-5240895c.html

NPR Reports on Mandarin

New Chinese language, cultural initiative (April 19, 2006)
NEW YORK, April 19 (Xinhua) -- China and the United States kicked off a new Chinese language and culture initiative here on Wednesday by signing an agreement of cooperation in promoting Chinese language and culture programs in the United States.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-04/20/content_4452202.htm

Language: Mission Critical (April 5, 2006)
This chat, featuring two Education Week reporters, focused on the changes facing foreign-language education in the U.S. Transcript:
http://www.edweek.org/chat/transcript_04_05_06.html.

Local Parents Fill Gap in World Language Programs
Interview with Ruby de Luna on KUOW March 6, 2006.
http://www.kuow.org/defaultProgram.asp?ID=10329

A Seattle school excites students with the promise of an interconnected world.
Looking out at their students each day, faculty members at Seattle's John Stanford International School don't see just baby faces and blank slates: They see future citizens of an interconnected world.
http://www.edutopia.org/magazine/ed1article.php?
id=Art_1472&issue=mar_06

The French Connection - by Liam Moriarty
on The Learning Curve KPLU 88.5 (links to audio & text)

Part 1 - 2/27/2006 Early Childhood Education
http://www.learningcurveonline.org/reports/kplu32a.asp
(includes interview with Bob Watt of Boeing)
Part 2 - 2/28/2006 Parents and Community
http://www.learningcurveonline.org/reports/kplu32b.asp
(includes visit to Beacon Hill Elementary in Seattle)
Part 3 - 3/1/2006 Foreign Language
http://www.learningcurveonline.org/reports/kplu32c.asp
(includes interviews with Coalition members Michele Anciaux Aoki and Caleb Perkins)
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CED Urges Increased Investment in International Education and Foreign Language Studies
The United States will become less competitive in the global economy because of a shortage of strong foreign language and international studies programs at the elementary, high school and college levels, warns a new statement from the Committee for Economic Development (CED), a business-led policy group.
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/02-09-2006/0004278651&EDATE=

U.S. University Presidents Summit on International Education hosted by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings January 5-6, 2006.
http://www.exchanges.state.gov/universitysummit/.

Briefing on the National Security Language Initiative
http://www.state.gov/g/rls/rm/2005/58737.htm
Fact Sheet: National Security Language Initiative
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2006/58733.htm

Chinese Language Study Catches On
Mandarin Chinese Immersion School in Portland gains in popularity. Finding teachers remains a challenge.
Seattle Times Article 1/2/2006

2005 Goldman Sachs Foundation Prizes for Excellence in International Education
The 2005 The Goldman Sachs Foundation Prizes for Excellence in International Education were announced at the 2005 States Institute for International Education. For a complete list of the winners, vist:
http://www.internationaled.org/prizes/. (Washington, DC 12/8/2005)

"States Prepare for the Global Age" Report Released
Asia Society announces the release of its new report, "States Prepare for the the Global Age." This report, written by Edward Fiske, former education editor for The New York Times, provides an overview of the critical importance of international knowledge and skills to US competitiveness, including extensive analysis of selected state initiatives to improve international education in K-12 schools. The report includes state-by-state economic and education performance data and action steps to inform state and community planning. (Washington, DC 12/7/2005)