PK - 12 Schools
Languages:
- German
PreK-K | n/a |
Goethe-Institut and AATG
Washington , District of Columbia 20009
SPARK for German Institute Background
SPARK for German, a joint project of the American Association of Teachers of German and the Goethe-Institut, establishes a collaborative, sustainable, and equitable network to provide professional development for future German instructors and enable students across the United States to start learning German at an early age. SPARK offers a playful approach to German lessons in after school programs—providing early access to language instruction and creating opportunities for students to learn German into advanced levels at no cost to them. SPARK’s goal is to increase demand and build capacity to integrate German into the regular curriculum in all schools.
- Access
- Accountability
- Keys to Access & Accountability
Improve Access for all learners in more languages
Increase Accountability by effectively meeting all learner needs
Does your program publish description of its language program’s goals and requirements?
Yes
Does your program make public its efforts to increase HUL enrollments?
Yes
Does your program make public its definition of student success?
Yes
Does your program incorporate online learning in order to increase access and/or improve learning?
- Yes
Assess Language Outcomes
- Enrollment increases in existing programs, adding new capacity for German at schools
Federal Sources of Support
- SPARK is funded by the Netzwerk Deutsch Initiative of the German Embassy in Washington DC
Receive Federal Funding
- Yes
Emphasize in Language Program
- Cultural Literacy
- Employment opportunities
- Global citizenship, cosmopolitanism
- Human diversity, including linguistic diversity
- Intercultural Competence
- Social inclusion
- Social-Emotional Learning
Workforce Preparation Activity
Yes
- Occupation-specific courses
Certain aspects of programming help ensure both Access and Accountability and merit more specific inquiry, including Teaching, Immersion Learning, and Partnerships.
Reaching to Recruit Teachers
- Historically underserved learner (HUL) communities
Mirror Population of Staff
Yes
LEA or SEA offer
- Professional learning specifically targeting language teachers
Immersion Experience
Yes
Immersion Experience HULs
No
Support Students to Participate
- Non profit organizations
Program Partner with
- Heritage communities’ organizations
Explicit Example
SPARK for German has two goals: SPARK offers programs to build demand for German. SPARK works with advanced high school students and university students to offer these programs to interest them in a teaching career. Students participating in the programs receive a high-quality program free of charge. The curricula for the program focus on language learning and STEM and intercultural skills and we actively recruit students from underrepresented groups. The students who implement the programs work closely with their teachers and professors and receive stipends to take German and pedagogy classes to enhance their own language skills and get a first glimpse of what it takes to be a language teacher. SPARK has existed since January 2020 and includes over 100 partner schools and universities. We have trained over 150 students and over 500 students participated in our programs. All of our partners have reported the positive change in their programs due to their participation in SPARK for German, including an increase in enrollment, in engagement, in visibility.
Institution Information
Urbanicity
Urban
Levels
PreK-K
Free & Reduced Lunch
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