Great news on global demand and language classes in Mesa Public Schools.Michael Cowan, Associate Superintendent, Mesa Public Schools returned from China with ideas on teaching Mesa students about the Chinese language and their culture. Do you wonder why? A push is coming to learn world languages - a result of mounting global influence from China; and U.S. government encouraging more people to speak key foreign languages - Mandarin, Arabic, Farsi, Hindi, and Russian. MPS’s Community Education Department offered Mandarin this last year - 17 completed the course, mostly high school students. MPS is definately on top of education and world trends.Wow!! - this fits in with what I learned November 30, 2005. The East Valley Partnership presented: 2005 Cox Communications - East Valley Economic Forum - A Futurist Perspective, held at the ASU Ploytechnic campus, Student Union Ballroom. Dr. Ioanna Morfessis, President & CEO, IO, INC. shared that in 5 years China will be the "leading computer child".Moderated by Education Futurist Dr. Michael Crow, President, ASU shared about excellence, access, impact. It’s all about competitiveness - in 40 years China will match us. Our challenge…continue to be the brightest, cleverest, light for the world.Others: Technology Futurist Richard Fennessy, CEO, Insight Enterprises - Transportation Futurist Mary Peters, Former Administrator, FHWA - Economic Forecasting Futurist Dr. Lee McPheters, Director, Bank One Economic Outlook Center who shared that in 25 years the state will double, growth is unstoppable and Arizona has been underestimated!Other key comments to show Mesa Public Schools are listening….- WWII to 2005, Singapore has been motivated to excel.- The easiest way to predict the future is to invent it.- Global sequencing: ~ every 15 seconds a new web site ~ every 15 days a new product through innovation, invention.Dobson Principal, Matt Gehrman indicates his students have expressed an interest in Chinese or Japanese. A new school, K-8 will have an international perspective, emphasis on foreign languages says Cowan, now in the "planning-design-proposal stage" - location: next to the football field, Fremont Junior High, Power and Brown. A curriculum paralleling Westwood High’s International Baccalaureate Programme. In January, Sunridge Learning Center close to Dobson High, could be a first in the district teaching elementary students Chinese depending on available federal funds - $23 million in federal grant money for elementary schools toward learning difficult languages early has been allotted.Cowan tells us Chinese students are expected to learn English beginning in third grade, through high school; an expected part of the curriculum. The challenge as Cowan describes, is qualified people to teach as they must meet state and federal requirements for certification in public schools. Also, the partnership with Chinese government and the College Board is figuring out an international teacher exchange program.This is exciting for Mesa and our public schools system - the attendance rates will surely rise!
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