From AP via China Daily (link):
Calling Chinese “an important tool for the rest of the world,” China’s education minister announced a plan Wednesday to help train hundreds of U.S. educators in the language.
The initiative will bring more than 150 guest teachers to U.S. high schools from China and immerse nearly 600 American teachers of the language in Chinese culture through summer institutes there, organizers said. It will also provide financial aid to nearly 300 American teachers seeking state certification in Chinese.
Organizers said they hope to reach 500,000 U.S. students. The College Board, which administers the SAT college entrance exam, said it began looking into such a program after a 2004 survey found hundreds of high schools interested in offering Chinese-language college preparatory courses.
