As a result of reauthorization of the Higher Education Act in 1972, the U.S. Congress stipulated that universities seeking federal funding to promote less commonly taught languages should provide outreach to K-12 teachers. Two funded universities have developed African language instruction for this level. During the academic year, Yale University graduate students offer after-school programs for high school students in Afrikaans, Hausa, Swahili, Yoruba, and Zulu. Likewise, University of Wisconsin students have taught Swahili in after-school programs, in summer programs, or at West High School in Madison. Because of the turnover in appointments, few teachers of African languages are members of foreign language organizations, and potential teachers vary in qualifications.
School administrators recruit teachers from four different groups.
A second group are African nationals with language teaching experience. Frequently, an African national has learned the target language in school. A third group consists of current U.S. language teachers who hold a state license. Although K-12 language instruction is not a high priority for all organizations, interest is increasing. Members are charged to prepare a language framework that takes into consideration precollegiate instruction.