A Grant to Develop a Nationwide Licensure and Certification Guide

Gaby Semaan, University of Toledo/Assistant Professor, Director of Middle East Studies and Coordinator of Arabic Program, Licensure Committee Chair

Nationwide, new foreign language teachers many times find themselves lost when it comes to finding out the requirements for certification and licensure in their states. Many times they consult with other “seasoned teachers” only to find out that requirements have changed. Some may email licensure departments in their states and never receive answers. For all those teachers and others in the field there is some good news.

Human Assistance & Development International (HADI) and STARTALK are cooperating to resolve this issue. STARTALK, a component of the National Security Language Initiative (NSLI) provided HADI a grant to develop nationwide roadmap for certification and licensure. In the next few months, Hadi will be working on developing a free online resource for all language teachers to direct them on the road of becoming certified and licensed. The website aims to include each state’s guidelines for language teachers licensure and certification aiming to be a one stop free guide.

This good news will help all teachers, especially new ones, so they do not have to be shooting in the dark as they plan on becoming licensed and certified to teach foreign languages in whichever state.