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Article: SCHOOLS CHIEF LOOKS TO THE EAST AFTER TRIP, SEEKS TO EXPAND OFFERINGS ON CHINESE LANGUAGE, CULTURE
- Article from:
- The Boston Globe (Boston, MA)
- Article date:
- December 23, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2004 The Boston Globe. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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Visiting China last summer, Anthony Bent, superintendent of
Shrewsbury schools, marveled at how widely and well students were
learning English. But the classes raised a worrisome question: Why
aren't American students learning Chinese?
With the world's most populous nation becoming a formidable
economic power that could one day rival the United States, Bent says
that American students can no longer afford to remain ignorant of
Chinese language and culture.
"It's very clear to me that our students will, in the next
generation, have to deal with the emerging giant that is China," Bent
said. "We're going to have to learn more about them in order to