The Role of the Administrator in Foreign Language Education.

In the context of the modern global society and economy, foreign language instruction is placing more emphasis on students' cross-cultural understanding and on using language to develop students' communication skills. These goals are evidenced by the current interest in Foreign Languages Across the Curriculum (FLAC) courses, which teach languages through content instruction in specific areas. FLAC courses are particularly relevant to two-year colleges since the teacher-student relationship is more personalized and there is generally a student-centered orientation. These courses can also help overcome the barriers to language instruction since they focus on content and make language classes relevant and functional. The success of the approach, however, depends upon institution-wide commitment and high-level administrative support. To make foreign languages a central component of the curriculum, Richland College (RC) in Dallas, Texas, founded the International Language Institute in 1990, offering language instruction in Spanish, French, German, Chinese, and Japanese. Encouraged by the highest levels of the administration, all RC language faculty underwent a year-long training program in proficiency-based teaching, and RC hosted a 2-week seminar in proficiency strategies for local high school language teachers. Other initiatives inclucLe the purchase of a state-of-the-art, computerized language lab and the implementation of a two-semester Businesi Spanish sequence based on a local needs assessment. Community college administrators are especially qualified to assume leadership positions with such innovative foreign language initiatives. (PAA) THE ROLE OF THE ADMINISTRATOR IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE EDUCATION Stephen K. Mittelstet President Richland College Dallas, Texas Presented at the AACC Foreign Language Education Roundtable Washington, DC February 9-10, 1992 "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY S. K. Mittelstet TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)." A U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Odfce of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) r Th.& document has been reproduced as received from the person or organIzation ongmatmg ft ,( Minor changes have been made to improve reproductron quairty Roads of new or °Downs stated In this docu. ment do not necessarily represent othoal OE RI 000110n or policy THE ROLE OF THE ADMINISTRATOR IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE EDUCATION National Foreign Language Education Conference AACJC Community college administrators have a key role to play in the current movement to revitalize foreign language instruction through innovative alliances, goals, and approaches. The realities of the global society and economy increasingly demand new initiatives to meet the needs for internati^nal expertise in all walks of life. Since language skills are at the heart of international training and careers, this close association should be highlighted by incorporating a strong cross-cultural emphasis in the teaching and learning of foreign languages. Taking also into consideration the expectations of today's students to use language skills as communicative tools for understanding speakers of a target language, the profession has embraced the general goal of user-oriented and proficiency-based teaching. A logical corollary of the communicative and cultural goals is the current interest in the content or message of the foreign language class. Programs of study are being developed in several four-year colleges and universities that underscore foreign language learning through content instruction in a specific area, such as business or contemporary life and culture. This emphasis on language acquisition via content materials is reflected in the Foreign Languages Across the Curriculum (FLAC) movement. FLAC efforts have recently been publicized and supported by several recent NEH