U.S. Embassy Santo Domingo: Enhancing English Teaching Capacity Grant

Priority Region: Dominican Republic

Project Objectives:
1) Design and execute English teacher training programs to strengthen English teaching in the Dominican Republic
a. License at least five teachers or teacher trainers as TESOL Trainers
b. Train at least 80 English pre-service and/or in-service teachers in the communicative approach in support of the new English curriculum implemented by the Ministry of Education of the Dominican Republic in the northern, eastern, southern and/or capital region.
c. Train 40 teachers and/or supervisors from the Ministry of Higher Education’s English Immersion Program, the Instituto Cultural Dominico-Americano and the Centro Cultural Dominico-Americano in the communicative approach and in evaluation and assessment.
d. Improve the English level of in-service public sector teachers so that they are able to provide higher quality English teaching to students across the Dominican Republic

The primary goal of the funding opportunity is to engage English teachers in training programs that will strengthen English teaching quality and capacity in the Dominican Republic. The target population for this training program will be public school teachers, teachers from the Ministry of Higher Education’s English Immersion Program and teachers from the binational centers (Instituto Cultural Dominico-Americano and Centro Cultural Dominico-Americano). Institutions should include a description of the interview and selection procedures and assessment methods for the proposed training program(s).

Participants and Audiences:
a. License at least five teachers or teacher trainers as TESOL Trainers

Target audience: Teachers or Supervisors/Teacher Trainers from the Instituto Cultural Dominico-Americano’s Teacher Training Center and/or English School

b. Train at least 80 English pre-service teachers and/or in-service teachers in the communicative approach in support of the new English curriculum implemented by the Ministry of Education of the Dominican Republic in the northern, eastern, southern and/or capital region.

Target audience: Pre-service teachers attending local universities, including UASD and ISFODOSU, and/or in-service teachers from the Ministry of Education

c. Train 40 teachers and/or supervisors from the Ministry of Higher Education’s English Immersion Program, the Instituto Cultural Dominico-Americano and the Centro Cultural Dominico-Americano in evaluation and assessment and/or communicative approach.

Target Audience: 40 teachers and/or supervisors from the Ministry of Higher Education’s English Immersion Program, the Instituto Cultural Dominico-Americano and the Centro Cultural Dominico-Americano

d. Improve the English level of in-service public sector teachers so that they are able to provide higher quality English teaching to students across the Dominican Republic

Target Audience: At least 30 teachers from the Ministry of Education

The goal of the grants program is to enhance relations between Dominicans and U.S. organizations and people in the priority areas described, and/or to allow Dominican audiences to better understand the United States, its culture, society, government, language, legal, economic and political systems, and values. To further these goals, proposals must include U.S. content. Examples of U.S. content include speakers who are U.S. citizens, use of U.S. training models or materials, exchanges with U.S. institutions, promotion of U.S. culture and arts, etc.

1. Activities that are typically funded include, but are not limited to:
• Academic and professional lectures; public seminars and programs;
• Professional development workshops and training for youth and teachers;
• Cultural, professional and academic exchanges and projects;
• Artistic and cultural workshops, joint performances and exhibitions;

2. Activities that are not typically funded include, but are not limited to:
• Grants to individuals
• Scientific research
• Paying to complete activities begun with other funds;
• Projects that are inherently political in nature or that contain the appearance of partisanship/support to individual or single party electoral campaigns;
• Speakers who are not U.S. citizens.