(Press Release submitted to the Log Cabin Democrat, Conway, AR, Fall, 2000)

In a recent memorandum on international education policy, President Clinton advocated a new and more important role for the study of a second language for every American child. In that memorandum of April 19, he stated: "To continue to compete successfully in the global economy and to maintain our role as a world leader, the United States needs to ensure that its citizens develop a broad understanding of the world, proficiency in other languages, and knowledge of other cultures" (http://exchanges.state.gov/education/remarks/whstatement.htm).

Foreign language educators are responding to this and other demands for more and longer sequences of study for all American children. From June 15-18, 160 foreign language educators attended a retreat in Leesburg, Virginia where they developed an action plan for the promotion of foreign language education in the United States. The group represented a broad spectrum of foreign language educators, including teachers, program directors, college and university professors and representatives of publishers and governmental agencies from throughout the nation.

Supported by funds from the U.S. Department of Education awarded to the National K-12 Foreign Language Resource Center (NFLRC) and administered by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), conference participants examined and discussed current issues relating to foreign language education in the United States.

The goal of the project is to assure that every student in the nation has an opportunity to learn to communicate well in at least one language other than English, beginning in the earliest grades for all students and continuing through the university level for Americans who need more specialized language skills.

The project is continuing as groups of educators and national organizations work together to address issues related to research on how children and adults best learn to speak and understand a foreign language, how to find and train enough teachers to fill the classrooms of the nation as all children begin to study another language, and how to develop and maintain cutting-edge programs and teachers.

Over 5000 language educators are expected to continue discussion of the project at the annual meeting of the American Council of Teachers of Foreign Languages and numerous other national and regional language organizations in Boston, November 17-19.

Participating in the project from Conway are Patricia Carlin, University of Central Arkansas, and Sharon Rapp, Conway Public Schools. The two co-presented a six-hour workshop in August, "New Visions and Classroom Applications For Foreign Language Teachers," at the Wilbur Mills Education Service Cooperative in Beebe. Rapp's participation in the New Visions Conference was sponsored in part by a scholarship from Theta Chapter of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International.

Educators, parents and citizens interested in the project are invited to contact these participants for more information or to share their own ideas and concerns.