TCLP U.S. Host School Application

This page is for K-12 schools in the U.S. applying to host an Arabic or Mandarin Chinese exchange teacher.  
U.S. host school applicants: The application for 2019-2020 can be accessed at https://ais.americancouncils.org/teacherprograms The deadline is January 22, 2019.

To learn more about the program and apply, please read the information below.


Please subscribe to the TCLP Newsletter or see our FAQ page for more details.

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TCLP INFORMATIONAL WEBINAR FOR U.S. K-12 SCHOOLS
Are you interested in increasing the global competency of your students by hosting a guest Mandarin or Arabic teacher at your school? Find out how this program can make a lasting difference in your school and community by participating in a virtual round-table with TCLP host school alumni.

November 8, 2018
4:00 pm (EST)
TCLP Informational Webinar
Learn about the program and how hosting a Madarin or Arabic teacher can benefit your students. Hosted by TCLP Staff.
This live event will be hosted on Zoom, to register visit the following link: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_bIbovQYAQ8Oz7seIvfgGvw

November 15, 2018
4:00 pm (EST)
First Round-Table with TCLP Host School Alumni
Hear from past TCLP alumni about their experience with the program and ask questions about what hosting a teacher can bring to your school and community.
This live event will be hosted on Zoom, to register visit the following link: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_RXmCny4aTdmKNMYfE0XPNQ

December 7, 2018
4:00 pm (EST)
Second Round-Table with TCLP Host School Alumni
Hear from past TCLP alumni about their experience with the program and ask questions about what hosting a teacher can bring to your school and community.
This live event will be hosted on Zoom, to register visit the following link: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN__woLMBc1RX6iv3cSDMnfeA

January 4, 2019
4:00 pm (EST)
Third Round-Table with TCLP Host School Alumni
This live event will be hosted on Zoom, to register visit the following link: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_uol0YCtBQ4yJPQko8HLgEg

If you are accessing the round-table on a mobile device, please download the free Zoom app for iOS or Android prior to joining.

A virtual roundtable with alumni recorded last year is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h44t2NXn7ME&t=0m15s.

Please note that these sessions are only for K-12 schools in the United States. You can also learn more about hosting a fully-funded teacher with the Teachers of Critical Languages Program (TCLP) by watching a recorded webinar with TCLP staff below.

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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, Egypt, or Morocco 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 PROVISIONS FOR FULLY OR PARTIALLY FUNDED EXCHANGE TEACHERS

TCLP is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State and provides three possible funding levels for host schools. More slots are available for partially funded options.

The exchange teachers will complete the Washington, DC based Welcome Orientation and travel to their host schools by early- to mid-August 2019. 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 U.S. host schools will meet the following program requirements:

• Be a citizen of China, Egypt, or Morocco;
• Currently teach Chinese/Arabic/English as a Foreign Language in a K-12 school in their home country;
• Be available to teach for the entire U.S. academic year with leave time limited to school breaks;
• Have at least four years of classroom teaching experience;
• Have at least a Bachelor’s degree; and
• Be proficient 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 an existing Chinese or Arabic foreign language program or want to start a Chinese or Arabic language program;
• Have a detailed 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 between 10 and 20 scheduled contact hours per week to leave time in his/her schedule for outreach presentations in colleagues’ classes and area schools, designing curricula, 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 starts, 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 host school-based mentor teacher to support the program’s implementation beginning April 2019 and assist the exchange teacher throughout their stay in the United States (please see additional details below);
• Designate a community liaison to assist the exchange teacher’s transition into the community. This cannot be the same as the mentor teacher or school administrator.
• If teaching certification documents are required for the exchange teacher to work in the school, the host school will cover all costs associated with receiving teaching certification;
• Have a plan for the exchange teacher’s logistical support throughout the year that include:
  
  • For fully funded exchange teacher: Arrange housing accommodations (an apartment, a rented room in a house, or a home-stay) in the host community with the understanding that rent and other living expenses will be paid by the exchange teacher (who will receive a housing allowance).
  • For a partially funded exchange teacher: Arrange and pay for housing accommodations (an apartment, a rented room in a house, or a home-stay) in the host community.
• Facilitate transportation arrangements that will enable the exchange teacher to live independently within the community; and
• Participate in TCLP mandatory training and workshops:
  
  • Host School Online Course: five modules for school administrators and mentor teachers in April-May 2019;
  • Host School Orientation: a two-day workshop in Washington, DC for host school mentor teachers in early August 2019. During this event, mentor teachers will meet their exchange teachers and participate in orientation activities together;
  • Fall Workshop: a two-day workshop in mid-October 2019 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 required qualifications for the mentor teacher include:

Have a minimum of five years of full-time teaching experience in the host school;

Have the time and willingness to provide guidance on school policies and best practices for teaching, classroom management, curriculum development, assessment, and school norms;

Meet at least once a week with the exchange teacher to help him/her acclimatize to the host school through establishing networks within the faculty and participating in extracurricular activities.

The ideal mentor teacher would also:

Be a foreign language teacher;

Have a genuine interest in cross-cultural exchange; and

Team-teach with the exchange teacher and observe his/her classroom.

Mentor teachers can receive professional development hours 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 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;

Proposed teaching assignments and the exchange teacher’s support during the transitional period and throughout academic year;

Community and logistical support of exchange teacher, including cultural exchange opportunities for both the exchange teacher and the host community;

Quality of proposed mentor teacher; and

The school’s sustainability plan for its Arabic/Chinese language program.

Following independent evaluation, semi-finalist host schools’ mentor teachers and administrative representatives will participate in telephone interviews in which they will discuss program vision, support strategies, teaching and outreach schedule design, and post-exchange collaboration. Schools will be notified of final selection results by April 2018.

PROGRAM TIMELINE

• Application deadline: January 21, 2019
• Notification of program semi-finalists: Early March 2019
• Semi-finalist phone interviews: March 2019
• Notification of program finalists: March 2019
• Host School Program Preparation Modules: April – June 2019
• Exchange program: Early August 2019 – May/June 2020

APPLICATION GUIDELINES

Applications must be received online by American Councils no later than 11:59 p.m. ET on January 22, 2019.

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

Additional Information
If you have further questions about the application process, please contact TCLP staff, or call (202) 833-7522.

Click here to apply: