September 25, 2005

PANEL: EDUCATION, VOTING AMONG ISSUES OF CONCERN FOR VA ASIANS

By DIONNE WALKER
Associated Press Writer

RICHMOND, Va. -- In the late 1980s, while everyone from school administrators to Sesame Street was busy reinforcing the importance of teaching children Spanish, Fairfax County educators had reached a radically different conclusion: The next generation needed to know Japanese.

"They just looked at the economy and the trade--our world is shrinking," said Paula Patrick, foreign language coordinator for Fairfax County schools, which now offer Japanese, Chinese and Korean at more than a dozen schools.

Funding to expand Asian language courses is among the 14 recommendations included in a report documenting Asian concerns statewide. Other recommendations outlined in the Virginia Asian Advisory Board's annual report range from more translation help at the polls to better representation in school history books.

It was the second issued by the board, created in 2001 to advise the governor on issues surrounding Asian trade and Asian-American communities in the state.

One of the most striking recommendations this year involves opportunities to learn Asian languages in school.

The Department of Education doesn't keep a count of how many schools in the state offer courses in such languages. But among three of the fastest growing areas identified in the 2000 Census _ Loudoun County, Prince William County and the city of Suffolk _ none offers Asian language courses.

Reasons range from lack of demand to the difficulties of finding a person not only versed in these complex languages, but capable of teaching them. The report recommends a special state grant for initiating the courses.

Tomorrow's business leader's simply can't rely on a couple years of high school French, said Robert Colorina, vice chairman of the advisory board.

"Simply put, much of the anticipated growth from some of the U.S. companies is anticipated in overseas markets," he said. "It's reflective of the changing face of our U.S. society."

Approximately 261,025 Asian Americans lived in Virginia in 2000, according to the census. By 2004, that number had swollen to 326,563.

But the shifting population isn't reflected in school textbooks, which continue to peddle historical inaccuracies, said Eric Jensen, head of the Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans of Virginia. The problem often is as simple portraying the Vietnam and Korean wars with Asians cast as villains, he said.

The report recommends consideration of new textbooks, with close attention to how each addresses Asian culture. Funding for social studies teachers to take supplementary training in Asian history also is advised.

Equally pressing are translation issues. Board members point to low voter turnout in some communities as well as relatively small numbers of Asians receiving state services--both related, the report suggests, to language barriers.

"New immigrants and the elderly, they have a hard time," said former board chair Liu-Jen Chu, who oversaw this year's report. "English is the only language presented to them, which can be a barrier for them to come out to vote and also come out to the mainstream."

The report urges the governor to require each state agency work on a plan to increase accessibility to state services through community outreach, while requesting election monitors to assist Asian-American voters at the polls. A task force to specifically address Asian voter issues also is needed, the report said.

With 13 distinct Asian communities in central Virginia alone, translating many documents could be an expensive venture, Chu admitted.

She suggested officials reduce costs by recruiting community leaders to translate documents.

Recurring from the 2004 report were calls for a review of Asian employment in state universities, attention to remedial programs that often aid learning disabled immigrants and the development of diversity training curriculum throughout Virginia public schools.

Last year's recommendations didn't go without notice. A two-week gubernatorial trade mission to Japan and India this spring was the direct result of the board's 2004 recommendations. It triggered more than $36 million in new development and at least 100 jobs in Virginia, according to the Governor's Office.

Still, the board recommended stronger support for Asian and other minority-owned businesses, including training on public and private procurement opportunities and establishing a mentoring program for entrepreneurs.

With only months to go in his term, Gov. Mark Warner can't possibly address everything contained in the report.

"We would hope that future governors would share Gov. Warner's interest in reaching and increasing economic ties to the Asian world," said spokesman Kevin Hall. "We ignore Asia at our own peril."

On the Net:
Virginia Asian Advisory Board: http://www.vaab.virginia.gov/

[Posted 9/25/05]