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Shaker Chosen to Inaugurate Elementary Chinese Language Program |
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December 11, 2006 -- Shaker Heights is one of seven school districts in Ohio selected to pilot a Mandarin Chinese curriculum for elementary students, beginning in 2008-09. Funding will come from a federal grant awarded to Ohio and three other states. The federal grant, to be matched by the state, will underwrite teacher training. A Mandarin course was inaugurated this year at Shaker Heights High School through a state-supported exchange program, with Li Luling, a visiting teacher from China. Ms. Li is phasing in after-school classes at the elementary level and has been selected to help write the state’s new elementary curriculum. These recent developments extend Shaker’s longstanding commitment to preparing students for a global economy in which China is a major power. For 20 years, the High School has offered an interdisciplinary Asian Studies course in conjunction with the Cleveland Museum of Art. Focusing on China and Japan in alternate years, the course covers history, politics, culture, and art, taking advantage of the Museum’s outstanding Asian art collection. The program received a grant in 2002 from the New York-based Freeman Foundation to expand the curriculum and support student and faculty exchanges. The High School has sponsored a student and faculty exchange with a school in Takatori, Japan, since 1987. Two years ago, with support from the Freeman Foundation grant, Shaker inaugurated an exchange partnership with a school in Shanghai, China. In addition, approximately 200 members of the High School’s marching band will make a performance tour in China in spring 2007.
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