Fairbanks, Alaska – The Alaska State Board of Education has approved a new language education endorsement program for certified public school teachers with special skills in Native languages, world languages or bilingual and multicultural education. Educators completing the program at the University of Alaska Fairbanks earn additional endorsement on their teaching certification stating that they are qualified to teach in a second language classroom.

"The goal is to improve the performance of students by improving not only language teaching programs, but also teacher sensitivity to bilingual and multicultural students," said Patrick Marlow, Alaska Native Language Center assistant professor. "It places Native language education on equal footing with foreign language instruction and qualifies teachers to participate fully in enhancing or redesigning existing bilingual and second language programs."

Before reaching the state board for consideration, the new endorsement program faced an internal review at UAF and scrutiny by the Teacher Education and Certification Committee, the state education board's advisory group for teacher

preparation. UAF School of Education faculty will now complete final reviews aimed at integrating the endorsement program into new and existing master's of education degree programs.

Developed by faculty members in UAF's School of Education, ANLC and the UAF Department of Foreign Languages, the U.S. Department of Education-funded initiative is sponsored by ANLC's Denaqenage' Career Ladder Program and the School of Education's Morgan Project, dedicated to second language and Native language teacher training.

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