This document summarizes the Rhode Island Roadmap for Language Excellence conference held from November 15-18, 2012. The conference focused on Rhode Island's strategic vision to create a multilingual workforce by 2030 where the majority of graduates are proficient in English and at least one other language. It discusses recommendations to achieve this vision, including establishing a state supervisor for world language education, creating a language teaching center, developing public awareness campaigns and student proficiency incentives, and creating articulated K-16 language learning programs.

1. ACTFL Conference
November 15-18, 2012
Erin L. Papa
Sigrid Berka
J. Andrés Ramírez
Sarah Steverman

2. uri.edu/rilanguage facebook.com/rilanguage
Rhode Island Roadmap
Strategic Vision
The State of Rhode Island strives to create a
multilingual, culturally savvy, globally competent
Rhode Island community and workforce by creating
well articulated language learning programs
emphasizing proficiency and biliteracy.
By 2030, the majority of Rhode Island graduates
will be proficient in English and at least
one other language.

3. Our Involvement

5. Rhode Island Roadmap for
Language Excellence



uri.edu/rilanguage
facebook.com/rilanguage

7. We found out that…
 World markets play key economic role for RI
economy
 $1.9 billion worth of merchandise exports from
RI to 208 destinations abroad with the largest
markets being:
Canada
Mexico
Germany
Turkey
China

8. Forbes Insights Report July 2011 on
Reducing the Impact of Language Barriers
“In global, multicultural organizations, simply
expecting all employees to speak one common
language, such as English, marginalizes the potential
impact of international talent and leave monolingual
staff ill-equipped to help the organization compete
effectively in a globalized environment.”
Global Level

9. “When the language is a barrier and our
technical sales force is not able to explain a
machine tool to a customer in México, this
customer will come back with a broken tool
and file a complaint to get reimbursed. This
increases warranty costs and customer
dissatisfaction.”
Andrew Corsini, CEO of Supfina
Local Level

11. Upper management needs multilingual
capability to:
“lead and integrate global teams in
around-the-clock business transactions.”
SENSATA
Multinational Level

12. Upper management needs multilingual
capability to:
“build new markets – local has become
global innovation!”
HASBRO
Multinational Level

13. Upper management needs multilingual
capability to:
“assess political climate in foreign
countries.”
GTECH
Multinational Level

14. Upper management needs multilingual
capability to:
“Move flexibly into and out of new
markets with emotional intelligence”
HEXAGON METROLOGY
Multinational Level

15. “Raise trust, credibility, respect
between upper management and work
force in focus groups.”
ASTRO-MED
Upper management needs multilingual
capability to:
Multinational Level

16. “The Far East engineering team is a a vital bridge between
our US engineering and design staffs and our vendors. They
take concepts from our U.S. and European design teams
and transform them into more detailed and specific
products. They work with the vendor community on the
detailed execution and communicate what we want to do
and why. They help shape the actual features and attributes
of the product and make changes when manufacturing
problems arise. They also help the U.S team understand the
demands and constraints of the vendor community. Clear
lines of communication are thus paramount….”
Al Verreccchia, chairman of board of HASBRO
Multinational Level
Globally Operating
Teams

18. Even though…
“…(there is a) definite advantage for
linguistically & culturally trained employees to
advance faster and for management to navigate
an increasingly diverse work force world-wide,”

19. And . . .
Clear lines of Communication are
paramount in globally operating
teams

20. And…
“… it is more important than ever to enhance
language capability output and leverage
linguistic skills of local immigrant
populations (Hispanic, Cambodian, Haitian,
Vietnamese) to develop future emerging
markets…”

21. …. rarely is linguistic training offered
by companies, and recruiters do not
necessarily require FL skills!

22. In addition, foreign language education
is, for the most part, not aligned with the
needs of businesses and government.

23. Rhode Island is not living up to the expectations of our
business community:
 In RI, there was a 40% decrease in K-12 Foreign
Language enrollment from 2004-5 to 2007-8.
 Only 15% of University of Rhode Island students
graduating in 2010-11 took language courses above the
100-level.

25. Global Operations Local (Health, NGOs)
 Spanish
 Chinese
 French
 German
 Spanish
 Portuguese
 Khmer
(Cambodian)
 Haitian Creole
Current Priority Languages for Businesses
(Global and Local Operations)

26. • Chinese
• Brazilian Portuguese
• Arabic
Future Priority Languages for Businesses
(Global and Domestic Operations)

29. Alissa McKechnie ’13
Mechanical and Chinese IEP
Spring 2012
Internship with
Hasbro Hong
Kong in the
Action Figure
department
Summer 2011
Internship with
Hasbro in
Pawtucket, Rhode
Island
Fall 2011
Studied at
Zhejiang
University in
China
2012 – 2013
Spring 2013
Offered position with a
Semiconductor company in
Billerica, MA
Completing 5th year at URI
with a capstone design project
for Toray Plastics, Inc.

30. Current Priority Languages for
Government Agencies
 Spanish
 Cape Verdean
Creole
 Portuguese
 French
 Hmong
uri.edu/rilanguage facebook.com/rilanguage

31. Education
Business
Government

32. From Vision to Implementation:
Roadmap Recommendations
Establish the Position of State Supervisor for World
Language Education
Establish the Rhode Island Center for
Language Teaching, Learning, and Culture
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Develop and Implement a Public Awareness
Campaign
Develop Proficiency Incentives for Students
Develop Incentive Programs to Train, License, and
Employ Language Education Teachers
Create Articulated K-16 World Language
Sequences
From Vision to Implementation:
Roadmap Recommendations (cont)

34. Public Awareness: Video in the Works
“Not only is their education (talking about language minority students)
being jeopardized but their identity is as well. There are many that feel
that their culture and language have been compromised, myself
included. When I entered the Providence school system my first
language was Spanish. It was difficult grasping the (English) language. I
was even held back a grade due to a “Speech Impediment.” I struggled
initially but felt the pressure to assimilate and so I did. In the process of
mastering this “necessary” language I lost my own. As a teenager I
realized my lost and have struggled ever since to gain it back. Even now
as an adult I find it difficult to fit in either group socially. I have an
accent when I speak English and I have one when I speak Spanish. The
push to assimilate has only left me in the middle.”
Graduate Student Taking a Graduate Class in the
TESL Program at Rhode Island College

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Develop Proficiency Incentives for
Students
http://sealofbiliteracy.org/

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Develop Incentive Programs to
Train, License, and Employ Language
Education Teachers

37. Develop Articulated K-16 Language
Sequences
 All 36 RI Districts
 Locally-determined languages
 K-8: Dual Language Immersion Programs
(50% of day in target language)
 Choice to add language in middle school
 6-12: World Language Model Remains
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38. K-12 Considerations
Budget
Staffing
Curriculum

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40. Questions?