[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 43 (Thursday, April 6, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E527]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               COLLEGE ACCESS AND OPPORTUNITY ACT OF 2005

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. FRANK R. WOLF

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 30, 2006

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 609) to 
     amend and extend the Higher Education Act of 1965:

  Mr. WOLF. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of the amendment 
offered by my colleagues Representatives Kirk and Larsen. They are to 
be commended for drawing attention to the importance of student 
exchange and language education programs, particularly related to 
Chinese and Arabic. In the 21st century world, China and the Middle 
East are critically important.
  I share their support for language and culture education programs to 
help equip today's young people for the global marketplace. I was 
pleased to be able to help bring Japanese and Chinese language programs 
to the Fairfax County Public School system in northern Virginia. During 
the early 1980s Japan was the primary United States competitor. In an 
effort to understand how to help United States businesses remain 
competitive in an expanding global economy, especially with Japan, I 
wrote to the top 500 U.S. companies asking for their feedback.
  The overwhelming response was that U.S. businesses were having 
difficulty finding qualified people who spoke Japanese and understood 
that culture. It became clear that the younger generation of Americans 
who would be the business leaders of tomorrow needed the training to 
compete with Japan. To help enlarge the pool of fluent Japanese 
speakers and broaden understanding of the Japanese culture, I worked 
with the U.S. Department of Education to establish language immersion 
programs in northern Virginia in 1988.
  As a result, Floris, Fox Mill and Great Falls Elementary schools, all 
in the Fairfax County Public School system, began offering Japanese 
immersion programs. In these programs, students spend half the school 
day in their subjects learning to converse in Japanese and the other 
half in English. I insert for the Record excerpts from my congressional 
newsletters from 1988 announcing the launch of the Japanese language 
immersion program.
  Today, the United States' main global competitor is no longer Japan. 
China has assumed that position. As we did in the 1980s with Japanese 
language immersion, we need to replicate today with the Chinese 
language. The Chinese program will expand and build upon the success of 
the Japanese immersion program, which helped America counter the 
serious competition it faced from Japan. In addition to having the 
opportunity to improve academic performance, students also will have 
the chance to learn a language that will equip them to compete in the 
global economy. With one-quarter of the world's population living in 
China, it is imperative that America's rising business leaders learn 
the Chinese language and culture.
  Studies have shown that students who participate in language 
immersion programs do well academically. This amendment highlights a 
critical area in preparing our young people--as Tom Friedman so aptly 
put it in his best-selling book ``The World is Flat''--to develop 
language skills to help our country meet the challenge being posed by 
China and India.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the Kirk/Larsen 
amendment and thank the gentlemen for their good work on highlighting 
this important issue.

             Foreign Language Study Key to Competitiveness

       Our national trade deficit has caused deserved concern. We 
     must not only make sure that American companies are on a 
     level playing field with their foreign competitors, but also 
     provide that American companies are equipped to compete in 
     the international marketplace. The key to this is the 
     education and training of our young people.
       We must educate our young people in the languages and 
     cultures of other nations, so that in the future American 
     businesses are able to market products abroad and negotiate 
     with foreign counterparts.
       I have been pleased to work with our local school systems 
     to expand the foreign language courses offered. The language 
     of Japan, which has the largest trade surplus with the United 
     States of any of our trading partners, is now offered at many 
     of our area high schools. In addition, if a recently 
     submitted grant application to the Department of Education is 
     approved, Japanese, Spanish, and French may soon be taught to 
     kindergarten students in some local schools.
       These youngsters who are able to study the languages and 
     cultures of other peoples of the world will be the business 
     leaders of tomorrow, negotiating and devising strategies to 
     sell American products all over the world.
                                  ____


               Education Grant Focuses on Future Leaders

       The U.S, Department of Education recently awarded a 
     $175,000 grant to George Mason University to begin a foreign 
     language immersion program in Fairfax and Arlington counties 
     public elementary schools.
       I was pleased to have worked with local school and GMU 
     officials in support of this program which would be one of 
     the first of its kind in the country to focus on kindergarten 
     students for intensive training in Japanese, Spanish and 
     French.
       Under the program, six kindergarten teachers and six first 
     grade teachers would be trained in language instruction and 
     assigned to selected classes in participating schools.
       Students participating in the program would spend up to one 
     half of each school day being taught the target language.
       I sought funding for this program because of my concern 
     about U.S. competitiveness abroad and the need to prepare our 
     future business leaders on how to deal with an increasingly 
     international marketplace.
       I have corresponded with leaders in the U.S. business 
     community including the chief executive officers of many of 
     the top U.S. companies doing business in Japan and business 
     school deans. Most agree that American students must be 
     exposed to the language and culture of other countries from 
     the earliest possible age in order to remain competitive in 
     the international marketplace.
       In addition, training in foreign languages helps students 
     to improve their verbal and intellectual capacities and 
     encourages interest in other cultures.
       While Fairfax and Arlington counties schools have expressed 
     interest in implementing this innovative effort, a firm 
     commitment has not been made as yet. I am hopeful, however, 
     that the local schools will take advantage of this 
     opportunity to assist our area's young people.

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