Teachers of Critical Languages Program

U.S. Host School Application 2013-2014

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The Teachers of Critical Languages Program is pleased to announce an open competition for U.S. schools to host an exchange teacher from China or Egypt for an academic year. This program seeks to strengthen foreign language instruction at U.S. schools, while also providing the selected exchange teachers the opportunity to learn about U.S. teaching methodologies, culture, and society. The exchange teachers will teach Mandarin Chinese or Modern Standard Arabic and will also serve as a cultural resource in the host school and community.

PROGRAM ORGANIZATIONS

BUREAU OF EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS, U.S., DEPARTMENT OF STATE

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the U.S. Department of State fosters mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries to promote friendly, and peaceful relations, as mandated by the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961.

ECA accomplishes its mission through a range of programs based on the benefits of mutual understanding, international educational and cultural exchange, and leadership development. ECA engages youth, students, educators, artists, athletes, and rising leaders in many fields in the United States and more than 160 countries through academic, cultural, sports, and professional exchanges. Striving to reflect the diversity of the United States and global society, ECA programs, funding, and other activities encourage the involvement of American and international participants from traditionally underrepresented groups, including women, racial and ethnic minorities, and people with disabilities.

ECA exchange program alumni encompass over 1 million people around the world, including more than 40 Nobel Laureates and more than 300 current and former heads of state and government.

AMERICAN COUNCILS FOR INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION

American Councils for International Education: ACTR/ACCELS, an international not-for-profit organization, believes in the fundamental role of education in fostering positive change for individuals, institutions and societies. Building upon over three decades of regional expertise and development experience, American Councils advances education and research worldwide through international programs that provide the global perspective essential for academic and professional excellence. In collaboration with partners around the world, American Councils designs and implements innovative and effective programs responsive to the cultures and needs of the international communities in which it works.

PROGRAM PROVISIONS

TCLP is fully funded through the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State and provides the following to the exchange teachers:

• J-1 visa support;
• A Pre-Departure Orientation held in the participant’s home country;
• Round-trip airfare from each participant’s home city to and within the U.S.;
• A two-week Welcome Orientation in Washington, DC;
• An approximate 11-month teaching assignment in a U.S. host school;
• Professional development workshops;
• Accident and sickness insurance;
• Assistance with finding housing, generally arranged by the U.S. host school/educational community;
• Maintenance allowance of approximately $30,000, comprised of a maintenance stipend of $20,000 and an area housing allowance based on average housing prices for the assigned host community;
• A Professional Development Fund of up to $400 allocated towards obtaining teaching resources, classroom improvement materials, and/or towards participation in professional development opportunities; and
• Critical Language Projects funds awarded competitively to program alumni for projects that contribute to the development of critical language programs.

The exchange teachers will complete the Washington, DC based Welcome Orientation and be available for travel to their host school by early- to mid-August 2013. At the end of the host school’s academic year, exchange teachers will be required to return to their home countries; their exchange period will not be extended.

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

EXCHANGE TEACHER REQUIREMENTS: Exchange teachers assigned to the U.S. host schools will meet the following program requirements:

• Be a citizen of China/Egypt;
• Currently teach Chinese/Arabic/English as a Foreign Language in a K-12 school in home country;
• Have at least four years of classroom teaching experience;
• Have at least a Bachelor’s degree; and
• Have English language proficiency in written and spoken English.

U.S. HOST SCHOOL REQUIREMENTS: U.S. primary and secondary schools that meet the following program requirements are eligible to submit an application to host an exchange teacher:

• Have developing or existing Chinese or Arabic foreign language programs;
• Have a solid plan for the exchange teacher to strengthen the host school’s Chinese or Arabic language program through independent teaching or team-teaching;
• Provide the exchange teacher with a maximum of 20 scheduled contact hours per week to leave time in his/her schedule for guest presentations in colleagues’ classes and area schools, designing curriculum and for extracurricular activities. TCLP defines contact hours as those hours when the teacher is actually teaching students during scheduled class periods;
• Provide the exchange teacher with professional development opportunities that are available to the host school’s own faculty, including new teacher workshops/orientations, planning days before school, in-service trainings, and faculty meetings;
• Provide the exchange teacher with opportunities to share information about his/her home country in the host school and community, and to learn about U.S. education, culture, and society;
• Provide a school-based mentor teacher to assist the exchange teacher throughout the academic year (please see additional details below);
• Provide a community liaison to assist the exchange teacher’s transition into the community;
• Have a plan for the exchange teacher’s logistical support throughout the year that would also include:
  • Arranging housing accommodations in the host community with the understanding that rent and other living expenses will be paid by the exchange teacher. Housing options may include an apartment, a rented room in a house, or a home-stay arrangement within the school community; and
  • Facilitating transportation arrangements that will enable the exchange teacher to be independent within the community.
• Participate in the TCLP mandatory trainings and fully funded workshops:
  • Host School Introductory Orientation: two-day workshop in Washington DC in May, 2013 for school administrators;
  • Host School Online Course: four sessions for school administrators and mentor teachers in June, 2013;
  • Host School Final Orientation: two-day workshop in Washington DC in early August, 2013 for school mentor teachers. During this event host school mentor teachers will meet their exchange teachers and participate together in orientation activities;
  • Mid-Program Professional Development Workshop: two-day workshop in mid-October, 2013 for exchange and mentor teachers.

MENTOR TEACHERS: Schools must designate an experienced teacher to serve as a mentor to the exchange teacher in order to facilitate the exchange teacher’s success in a new education system. The ideal mentor teacher would:

• Be a foreign language teacher, if possible;
• Have a minimum of five years of full time teaching experience in the host school;
• Have a genuine interest in cross-cultural exchange;
• Have the time and willingness to provide guidance on school policies and best practices for teaching, classroom management, curriculum development, assessment, and other school norms;
• Team-teach with the exchange teacher and observe his/her classroom; and
• Meet regularly with the exchange teacher to help him/her with acclimatization to the host school through establishing networks within the faculty, and participating in extracurricular activities.

Mentor teachers will receive professional development hours and a small honorarium for each month of their participation.

U.S. HOST SCHOOL SELECTION: The U.S. Department of State and American Councils will convene an independent panel that will review the host school applications on the basis of the following:

• The academic program plan;
• The school’s commitment to the program;
• The presence of diverse student and community populations with whom the exchange teacher can interact;
• Professional development opportunities for the exchange teacher;
• Cultural exchange opportunities for both the exchange teacher and the host community; and
• The school’s sustainability plan for its Arabic/Chinese foreign language program.

Following independent evaluation, semi-finalist host schools’ mentor teachers and administrative representatives will participate in a telephone interview in which program vision, support strategies, teaching and outreach schedule design, and post-exchange collaboration will be discussed. Schools will be notified of the final selection results by April 2013.

PROGRAM TIMELINE

• Application deadline: January 23, 2013
• Notification of program semi-finalists: Late-February, 2013
• Semi-finalist phone interviews: March, 2013
• Notification of program finalists: April, 2013
• Exchange program: end of July, 2013- June, 2014

APPLICATION GUIDELINES

Applications must be received online by American Councils no later than 11:59 p.m. EST on January 23, 2013.

• A complete application package includes:
• Complete application form
• Resumes for the administrator, mentor teacher, and community liaison (2 page maximum each)
• Signed Application Certification Form
• Signed Administrative Approval Form
• Incomplete application packages will not be accepted;
• Additional materials (such as student work or school publications) should not be included in the package; and
• Materials that require technical equipment (such as audio or videotapes) will not be reviewed by the selection committee.

Additional Information

If you have further questions about the application process, please contact TCLP staff at tclp@americancouncils.org, or by telephone at 202-833-7522.

Clicking the button below will take you to AIS Forms, where you will be able to create an account. Once you log in, please click the “TCLP Application for U.S. Host Schools” to begin your application.

U.S. Host Schools Apply Here