On behalf of the China Learning Initiatives team, we send you our best wishes for a productive, healthy, and rewarding 2018!

We'd like to take this opportunity to highlight some of our projects completed and work recognizing the Chinese language education field in 2017:

• Why Speak Chinese? Our inaugural video contest brought submissions from students all over demonstrating why they're learning Chinese, and hundreds of thousands of people viewed these videos. We think this is just the beginning of a true movement to show the world how much fun it is to learn about Chinese language and culture.
• We released several new TEQ Videos, which are part of an ongoing series of professional development videos that highlight innovative and effective Chinese language instruction in K–12 classrooms across the United States.
• The 2017 National Chinese Language Conference was a great success and brought together more than 1,200 educators for its 10th annual conference in Houston. "A Decade of Progress" invited participants and speakers to look back at trends over the past 10 years in Mandarin instruction and what challenges and opportunities lie in the decade ahead. We hope you'll join us in Salt Lake City, Utah for NCLC 2018!
• New Ways of Seeing, a new publication by educator and former diplomat Chris Livaccari, makes an eloquent case for language learning as a means to enhance and deepen students' capacity for processing information and analyzing the shape of the world—and as something that enriches one’s life as a source of beauty, engagement, and joy.
• The Chinese Early Language and Immersion Network (CELIN) continued their critical work by profiling strong Chinese language programs around the country and publishing three research briefs addressing different aspects of Chinese language education.

Thank you for all that you do to promote Chinese language learning around the country and world, from the critical work in the classroom, to your continued collaboration and engagement with other language education professionals. We look forward to working with you in 2018 and for many years to come. 

It was a pleasure to see many of you at ACTFL 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee, in November! What a rich conference that was. CELIN organized a session on The Assessment Needs of Chinese Dual Immersion Programs. The session included presentations on the challenges that Pre-K–grade 12 programs face with assessing students and ways to establish proficiency expectations and communicate them with stakeholders. Experts in language assessment and Chinese immersion programs presented their approaches, perspectives, experiences, and data. 

The CELIN Program Directory is growing and is making strong contributions to Chinese language education in the United States. It's beneficial to ensure that your program is in the directory. We know that many new programs are being established, and more programs are being expanded. If your program is not yet in the directory, or if it's already listed, please take a few minutes to add or review your listing to enter any updates or additions. You can access the online form on the directory page, or send an email to Ethan Pan; include your program name and contact information, and he will follow up with you. Please spread the word about the directory to your colleagues.

Happy holidays! We wish you a wonderful time of celebration, relaxation, and rejoicing! 

The five-story Tianjin Binhai Library has opened in Tianjin Binhai, China. Led by a Dutch design firm in collaboration with local architects from the Tianjin Urban Planning and Design Institute, the building features floor-to-ceiling bookshelves that can hold up to 1.2 million physical books. Newsweek has the story along with more awe-inspiring photos.

(Photo credit: Ossip Van Duivenbode/MVRDV)

Career Opportunities at Asia Society: Our Center for Global Education is seeking an Assistant Director of China Learning Initiatives, whose goal is is to make Mandarin learning mainstream in the U.S. and promote U.S.-China education exchanges. See the full posting for details.  

2018 Chinese Guest Teacher Program: Since 2007, the College Board Chinese Guest Teacher Program has placed more than 1,400 visiting teachers in hundreds of schools nationwide. All guest teachers are qualified, experienced teachers from China. Apply now to host a Chinese guest teacher for the 2018–19 school year. Application priority deadline: January 12, 2018. 

The Teachers of Critical Languages Program (TCLP) grant application for 2018–19 is now open. TCLP brings fully-funded Chinese teachers to K–12 schools across the U.S. to teach Chinese language and culture for an academic year. If you are interested in starting or growing a Mandarin Chinese program at your school, the application deadline is January 22, 2018.

David L. Boren Scholarships and Fellowships: Boren Awards provide unique funding opportunities for U.S. undergraduate and graduate students to study abroad, where they can add important international and language components to their education. Deadlines vary by campus, ending February 8, 2018.

Concordia Language Villages: Summer "villages" combine language immersion, cultural activities, and fun camp activities, and are offered for students aged 7–18 in many languages, including Chinese. Programs are one, two, four, or six weeks long, with the four-week program offering one year of high school language credit. Scholarship deadline: February 21, 2018.

#GlobalEdChat: Join us weekly on Twitter for #GlobalEdChat, an hour-long discussion on current issues in global education. 8 pm Eastern time.