Chinese Is Becoming More Popular in Urban Schools

From http://articles.boston.com/2011-07-04/news/29736698_1_urban-schools-language-program-chinese-language

Mandarin classes open a world in Hub
by Akilah Jackson
July 4, 2011

Chinese is becoming increasingly popular in the nation’s urban schools, where educators hope the language will instill a global perspective in children whose life experiences often don’t extend beyond their city’s borders. And in many urban schools, students already speak languages at home that are traditionally the content of foreign-language programs.

It’s critical that Boston schools teach non-Western languages in order for their students to compete with peers outside the district, said Yu-Lan Lin, director of the school system’s world language program. Students, she said, “really interact in their immediate environment. We want to expand their life experiences outside of Boston, and one way to do it is for them to study international cultures.’’

Read the full article at http://articles.boston.com/2011-07-04/news/29736698_1_urban-schools-language-program-chinese-language