Project J-Hawk: Leadership in English Language Teacher Education

Abstract

The University of Kansas (KU) Applied English Center (AEC) has twice been awarded a U.S. Department of State grant to host a program for Vietnamese high school teachers in 2014-15 (Cohort 1) and 2015-16 (Cohort 2). Each cohort had 13 teachers from gifted high schools, many in underserved provinces that have substantial ethnic minority populations. Officially titled the English Language and Teacher Education Program for Vietnamese Teachers of Gifted Students (VNTP), the program is commonly referred to as Project JHawk. It is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and administered by the U.S. Department of State – Hanoi Bureau. The idea for the program grew out of a connection made by former KU AEC Language Specialist Kellie Smith Herrod with U.S. Embassy Public Affairs Officer Michael Turner while Smith Herrod was in Vietnam as a Fulbright Scholar (2013-2014). Thanks to Turner’s vision and heroic efforts, this unique program was created.