A new partnership has been developed to strengthen Arabic education in the Chicago area through the connection of university-level educators and K-12 educators to create a “community of support and collaboration,” says Northwestern University in a statement.

Northwestern University will now be using its higher education resources to support Chicago's Arabic Teachers’ Council and will be hosting a kick-off event on December 17 to which all Chicago-area Arabic teachers are invited to attend. The Council hopes to reach the city’s community of over 250 Arabic teachers.

"With a home in Northwestern’s Middle East and North African Studies Program (MENA), the Chicago Arabic Teachers’ Council will strengthen Arabic education across Chicago by providing a forum for teachers to network and share innovative approaches to teaching through conferences, professional development, other language-pedagogy and cultural events,” said Northwestern University.

Because Arabic instruction is complex and resources for foreign language teachers are often limited, those behind the new partnership with the Chicago Arabic Teachers’ Council hope the opportunity for connection to peers will help Arabic teachers find stability in a support system.

“The rich cultural backgrounds and language skills of the different instructors in the MENA program helped me look at other learning and teaching styles and helped me become the teacher I am today,” council coordinator Fadia Antabli said in Northwestern University’s statement.

The partnership is made possible by support from the Qatar Foundation International which has founded similar partnerships in other large cities like Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles.

The Qatar Foundation International has a national network of over 1,100 members.

Nicole Gorman, Senior Education World Contributor

12/6/2016