Chinese Ministry Signs Pact With College Board To Build Up Teachers

In a week marked by a high-profile meeting between President Bush and China’s President Hu Jintao, the College Board signed an agreement with the government of China intended to boost the numbers of Chinese-language teachers in American public schools through teaching exchanges, professional-development programs, and new instructional materials.

The agreement, announced April 19, is expected to help build Chinese-language programs in some 2,000 public schools over the next five years. Currently, only a few hundred schools in the K-12 sector offer instruction in the language. ( "Students Taking Spanish, French; Leaders Pushing Chinese, Arabic," March 29, 2006)

“This is about helping more students learn about the language and culture of China,” College Board President Gaston Caperton said in an interview. “It’s a breakthrough. … This will boost [American schools’ capacity...