The future of foreign language study in the United States might be glimpsed here at Louisa May Alcott Elementary School, in a classroom where lanterns with cherry blossoms and pandas dangle overhead, and a paper dragon, an American flag and a Chinese flag hang from the wall.
One recent morning, a class of third-graders bowed to one another and introduced themselves in Chinese, and a class of fourth-graders practiced writing numbers in Chinese characters on marker boards. Chinese classes began at Alcott in February, but more students are already choosing it over Spanish.
"Chinese is our new baby," said David J Domovic, the principal at Alcott, on the North Side, one of 20 public schools in the city offering instruction in Mandarin Chinese. "Everybody just wants in."
With encouragement from the Chinese and American governments, schools across the United States are expanding their foreign language offerings to include the world's most spoken tongue, not to mention one of its most difficult to learn.
Last month, the Defense Department gave a US$700,000 grant to public schools in Portland, Ore., to double the number of students studying Chinese in an immersion program. In May, Senator Joseph I Lieberman, Democrat Connecticut, and Senator Lamar Alexander, Republican Tennessee, introduced a bill to spend US$1.3 billion over five years on Chinese language programs in schools and on cultural exchanges to improve ties between the United States and China. The bill has been referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
After 2,400 schools expressed interest, Advanced Placement Chinese classes will be offered in high schools around the country starting next year. Beijing is paying for half the US$1.35 million to develop the classes, including Chinese teachers' scholarships and developing curriculums and examinations, said Trevor Packer, executive director of the Advanced Placement Program at the College Board.
"Many Americans are beginning to realize the importance of speaking Chinese," Zhu Hongqing, consul at the Chinese Education Consulate here, said. "We need to provide as much powerful support as we can."
The number of Chinese language programs around the country, from elementary school through adult programs, has tripled in 10 years, according to Scott McGinnis, an academic adviser at the Defense Language Institute in Washington.
"Chinese is strategic in a way that a lot of other languages aren't," because of China's growth as an economic and military force, McGinnis said.
"Whatever tensions lie between us, there is a historical long-standing mutual fascination with each other," he said. "Planning to be ready to engage with them rather than only thinking of them in terms of a challenge or a competitor is the smart thing to do."
Up to 50,000 students are studying Chinese in elementary and secondary schools in the United States, experts estimate. Many are in cities like New York and San Francisco that have large numbers of Chinese-American students, and many take lessons after school or on weekends.
The Chicago program stands out because it is entirely in public schools during the regular school day and primarily serves students who are not of Chinese descent.
Mayor Richard M Daley, a vocal supporter of the program, said proficiency in Chinese would be critical in understanding the competition.
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