Made in America: Chinese speakers.(up front)(Brief article)

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ONCE A CURIOSITY on campuses, Chinese classes are soaring into the mainstream on the wings of a global economy. Nationally, the number of Chinese-language learners in public schools has grown from 5,000 in 2000 to upwards of 50,000; last year, the College Board gave its first AP exam in Chinese.

At Central High School in La Crosse, Wisconsin, Thom Sandvick pioneered a program in 1988 with a small, single-semester class. Now, about 120 students study up to four years of Chinese, sometimes with visiting scholars. Although Spanish remains the top …