The University of Arkansas is accepting applications from Arkansas prekindergarten through 12th grade public school teachers to attend a new English for Speakers of Other Languages Institute. An Arkansas Department of Education grant will cover the cost for teachers to earn a professional development certificate in teaching English learners.

Visit the Global Campus Professional Development website for more information and to apply.

The ESOL Institute will provide Arkansas PK-12 teachers with training to meet the educational needs of students for whom English is a second language. The U of A College of Education and Health Professions will select 100 (two cohorts of 50) PK-12 teachers to participate in the institute, based on set criteria.

The Arkansas Department of Education selected the U of A as one of three institutions in the state to provide ESOL Institutes in 2018. The College of Education and Health Professions at the U of A previously offered an ESL Academy, which the state department has redesigned into the ESOL Institute.

Participants will attend intensive six-day summer workshops in Springdale, attend four follow-up workshops during the 2018-19 academic year, and complete online work. There are a total of 100 face-to-face contact hours, 60 hours during the summer and 40 hours during the fall and spring semesters. Online work will cover four modules, and students are expected to take about 18 to 20 hours to complete each module.

In addition to earning the Arkansas Department of Education certificate, institute participants can choose to apply for admission to the U of A and pay tuition for 12 U of A graduate hours leading to the ESL licensure endorsement. These hours will be offered at a discounted tuition rate with a scholarship provided by Global Campus. A stipend will be awarded by the Arkansas Department of Education to all participants who complete the Arkansas Department of Education certificate.

The College of Education and Health Professions will receive a grant of about $280,000 per year for up to three years to pay for the institute's costs outside of tuition and fees.