[HERITAGE-LIST] Call for assistance: STARTALK (community language programs in various languages) - DEADLINE FOR INPUT 3 OCTOBER

[Scott G. McGINNIS]

Dear Colleagues:

The National Foreign Language Center (NFLC) at the University of Maryland is surveying schools, colleges, and community-based programs to gather information on current programs in Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Russian, Persian (Farsi) and Hindi.  As you are probably aware, these languages are currently not supported to the extent needed for strong, successful programs in many institutions.  We would like to ask you to respond to a short, on-line questionnaire regarding your program.  

We are gathering this information on these languages because NFLC is engaged in the planning phase for a new project—STARTALK.  This project is one of the initiatives in the National Security Language Initiative announced at the State Department last January. STARTALK will provide programs for teachers and learners of these languages during the summer, beginning in summer of 2007 with Arabic and Chinese and focusing on high school students and on teachers at levels K-16. We are attempting to establish a baseline of existing programs and to determine where there are already programs in place on which STARTALK might build. We are also interested in learning of programs that might wish to collaborate with or participate in this project in some way. 

We would appreciate your completing the survey, which will take only a few minutes.  We ask that you complete the survey no later than October 3, 2006.  In completing the survey, you may wish to provide contact information for follow-up conversations, but it is not necessary to do so.  

Follow this link to take the survey: http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?p=WEB225MKX6ANT9

Thank you very much for your help in expanding and strengthening programs in these important world languages for US students. If you have any further questions about STARTALK or this survey, feel free to contact us at startalk at nflc.org.

Sincerely, 

 
Catherine Ingold
Director  
National Foreign Language Center
University of Maryland