Michigan State programs for K-12 Arabic Teacher Certification

Michigan State University will help increase the number of teachers certified to teach Arabic language in K-12 public schools by offering new academic programs for both current and prospective teachers. The initiative is led by the College of Education's Jeff Bale and Wafa Hassan in the Department of Germanic, Slavic, Asian and African Languages (Arts and Letters).

MSU will now offer an Arabic endorsement and related master’s degree program for certified teachers who wish to add Arabic to their credentials. This option, primarily expected to serve native Arabic speakers working in southeast Michigan schools, can be completed almost entirely online.

The university also will offer a traditional teacher preparation program for undergraduates who want to become certified Arabic teachers. Both programs will enroll candidates starting in fall 2011.

MSU also hopes to offer an experimental, post-baccalaureate certification program for people who want to become teachers of a world language, including Arabic. This program, for which the university is seeking approval from the Michigan Department of Education, would be open to candidates who already hold a relevant bachelor’s degree and who are proficient in the target language.
Students interested in the programs may contact Bale at jbale at msu dot edu

Hassan, W. Arabic-L:LPEDA:Michigan State programs for K-12 Arabic teacher certification. Arabic-L listserv (ARABIC-L@LISTSERV.BYU.EDU, 17 Jan 2011).