WASHINGTON, Jan. 21 (UPI) -- A small-but-growing number of schools in the United States are focusing their foreign language teachings on the Chinese language, results of a survey indicate.
A Center for Applied Linguistics survey indicates there was a significant increase in Chinese language classes at U.S. schools offering at least one foreign language between 1997 and 2008, The New York Times reported Thursday. During that time period, the percentage of schools offering Chinese increased from 1 percent to 4 percent, the survey found.
The increased interest in Chinese language education came despite foreign language teaching cuts by thousands of U.S. schools, the Times reported.
The center reported a 76 percent response rate to its questionnaire sent to 5,000 U.S. schools with follow-up phone calls to 3,200 schools.
The Times said while foreign language education faced cuts, Spanish language classes appear to be a mainstay in U.S. schools. Eighty-eight percent of elementary schools and 93 percent of middle and high schools offering language programs in 2008 offered Spanish.
