International Education and Foreign Languages Keys to Securing America's Future (2007) / Chapter Skim
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6 Supporting Research, Education, and Training
6 Supporting Research, Education, and Training
Pages 140-155
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From page 140... ...
For example, the Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship Program directly supports graduate students by subsidizing their tuition costs, whereas the National Resource Centers (NRC)
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From page 141... ...
As the overseas component of ED's international education portfolio, the four Fulbright-Hays programs by definition support overseas study. Several of these programs and their research activities are discussed in more detail in other chapters.
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From page 142... ...
Other component programs are also discussed when relevant evidence allows. The chapter then outlines the role of Title VI/FH programs in supporting the teaching of less commonly taught languages, an area that emerged during the committee's review as a specific important contribution to supporting research, education, and training in foreign languages.
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From page 143... ...
NRC status seems to be viewed, even by the already well-known universities that tend to receive the grants, as a "gold standard" that confers prestige. During the committee's site visits and in meetings with new NRC directors, university faculty consistently reported that NRC status serves as a proxy for the ratings that are available in other fields.
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From page 144... ...
Leverage At institutions with NRCs, substantial university resources are devoted to international and foreign language study, in addition to Title VI funds. Grant competition is structured in such a way that universities must demonstrate significant existing capacity -- including in their course offerings, opportunities for study abroad, and library holdings -- to support research and training in foreign languages and international studies.
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From page 145... ...
of the total funds available for less TABLE 6-3 Sources of NRC Funds, Fiscal Years 2002-2004 (percentage) Category Title VI Funds Institutional Funds Other Funds Area studies instruction 0.8 98.4 0.8 Commonly taught languages 2.4 96.2 1.4 Less commonly taught languages 9.4 87.7 2.9 Other 6.5 79.6 13.9 Outreach 21.6 46.4 32.0 SOURCE: Data provided by U.S.
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From page 146... ...
Universities report that NRC funding serves as a catalyst or as seed money to innovate, providing the funds necessary to introduce courses, particularly courses in the less commonly taught languages, that would not otherwise be offered. Once enrollments in these new courses are established, the universities tend to pick up the cost of the programs, enabling the NRC to move on to new priorities.
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From page 147... ...
They examined the contents of Slavic and Middle East studies academic journals and found that Title VI-funded institutions accounted for a disproportionately large number of articles. For example, between 1997 and 2004, the Title VI institutions contributed, on average, 4.2 articles to the journal Slavic Review, while non-Title VI institutions contributed only 1.3.
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From page 148... ...
Between 1996 and 2004, Title VI NRCs BOX 6-1 Catalyzing Instruction in Less Commonly Taught Languages Administrators and faculty at all eight site visit universities indicated that Title VI funding acts as a vital catalyst for developing instruction in less commonly taught languages. For example, Title VI funding supported five years of expansion in the teaching of Portuguese at Ohio State University.
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From page 149... ...
The committee's analysis of Modern Language Association enrollment data also suggests that NRCs and their institutions account for a significant proportion of enrollments in less commonly taught languages, particularly those with the smallest enrollments and particularly among graduate students (see Table 6-4)
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From page 150... ...
praised the overall performance of Title VI/FH programs in teaching less commonly taught languages, but also offered the caveat that "improvements in them are required and should be implemented to ensure greater accountability." OVERSEAS STUDY The four Fulbright-Hays programs all support overseas study for a range of purposes ranging from dissertation and faculty research to enhancing teacher training. The available funding has historically been a very small percentage compared with Title VI funding.
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From page 151... ...
The committee was told that the revised grantee reporting system under development will include an electronic method for submitting travel requests, which should help streamline the process. A common concern expressed during the site visits was the difficulty graduate students encounter in using annual FLAS awards to support overseas study, particularly in light of its recognized benefit to language study (discussed in Chapter 6)
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From page 152... ...
and 97 awarded by international NRCs. These have been added to the 1,523 FLAS Fellowships awarded in the world regions listed above (11 + 97 + 1,523 = 1,632)
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From page 153... ...
. TABLE 6-7 Faculty Research Abroad Program Summary, FY 2005 Individual Individual Applications Applications Totals by World Area Received Funded World Area Africa 12 7 $ 534,113 Western Hemisphere 19 6 281,084 Central/Eastern Europe/Eurasia 8 4 214,330 East Asia 10 4 195,462 Near East 2 1 18,559 South Asia 2 1 37,580 Southeast Asia 3 3 109,595 TOTAL 56 26 1,390,723 SOURCE: Data provided by U.S.
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From page 154... ...
Finally, the programs play a significant role in the teaching of the less commonly taught languages; some important languages might not be taught at all in the United States if not for Title VI funds. C onclusion: The Title VI/FH programs have enhanced the body of knowledge about foreign languages and area studies.
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From page 155... ...
. Thus, while there is at least a conceptual synergy to the way the programs are designed, which supports production of language and area knowledge, from K-12 to university faculty and research levels, the Title VI/FH programs were not designed to -- and are not adequately funded to -- carry out a comprehensive international education and language strategy beginning in kindergarten and continuing through faculty research.
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