July/August 2002 Volume 15 Issue 4 COMING SOON Starting with the Sept./Oct. issue of WENR, the WES Grade Conversion Booklet will be permanently posted online. COVER PAGE INFO Workshops: See a listing of upcoming workshops sponsored by WES. Useful Links: See a list of Web sites that may be helpful to WENR readers.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION  Education in Spain by Robert Sedgwick Editor, WENR Spain's education system has undergone significant changes in the last 20 years. Under the socialist government of Felipe Gonzalez, who stayed in power for 14 years (1982-1996), three major educational reform laws were promulgated:  REGIONAL NEWS  Click below on the region of the country you wish to go.    Proposed Bill Seeks to Build Bridges With Muslim World Sens. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and Richard Lugar, R-Ind., introduced the bipartisan Cultural Bridges Act of 2002 this spring. The proposed legislation, which is now before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is designed to significantly increase U.S. exchange programs with predominantly Muslim nations. If approved, the legislation would authorize $95 million annually through 2007 for educational and cultural exchange programs with Islamic countries. Students from the 57 member states of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, excluding Muslim-dominated former Soviet republics, would be eligible to participate. The program would be open to those from the West Bank and Gaza as well. [Read full story in the Middle East section]    FEATURE  Spain Markets Language Programs to Foreigners by Robert Sedgwick Editor, WENR In the past decade or so, colleges and universities around the world have become increasingly active in marketing their programs, courses and qualifications to international students around the world. As the demand for education and training continues to grow, so does the competition among education providers offering degrees and certificates in everything from liberal arts to business. Language programs are no exception, and Spanish-language programs in particular have witnessed exponential growth in recent years. There are several reasons for this: