Teachers From Egypt Take Part In U.S. Department of State’s Teachers of Critical Languages Program

Office of the Spokesperson
Department of State
Washington, DC

July 20, 2012

Twenty four teachers from China and Egypt have arrived in the U.S. to teach Mandarin and Arabic in U.S. elementary and secondary schools. They are participating in the Department of State’s Teachers of Critical Languages Program. Their program, sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, begins in Washington, D.C. July 23 with a two-week orientation session introducing the teachers to U.S. educational issues and teaching practices.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Academic Programs Meghann Curtis will welcome the group at the Department of State on July 24th. She will be joined by the President of American Councils for International Education Dan Davidson.

Launched in 2006, the Teachers of Critical Languages Program has brought more than 150 international teachers to over 85 U.S. host schools in 33 U.S. states. The program brings teachers from China and Egypt to eligible U.S. elementary and secondary schools to teach Chinese and Arabic for an academic year. American students benefit from having native Chinese and Arabic speakers in the classroom and from a broadened curriculum in these critical foreign languages. The international teachers experience American society and return to their home countries with a better understanding of American culture and values.

The program is implemented by American Councils for International Education (http://www.americancouncils.org).

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs promotes international mutual understanding through a wide range of academic, cultural, private-sector, professional and sports exchange programs. These international exchanges engage youth, students, educators, artists, athletes and emerging leaders in many fields in the United States and in more than 160 countries. Alumni of ECA exchanges comprise over one million people around the world, including more than 50 Nobel Laureates and more than 350 current or former heads of state and government.

For more information on the Teachers of Critical Languages Program, visit: http://exchanges.state.gov/globalexchanges/teachers-of-critical-languages-program.html.

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