Qualified, motivated teachers represent our most valuable resource. The CAIS Institute serves as a critical resource for teacher and administrator education in addition to providing research in pre-collegiate Chinese education.

Professional Development

The Institute promotes professional development with conferences and workshops enriching the knowledge of both teachers and administrators. In 2007, the CAIS Institute hosted the first national professional development conference focused on Chinese language programs at the pre-collegiate level. CAIS Institute’s second annual conference, The Chinese Education Conference was held in San Francisco, March 14-16, 2008 and was a huge success!

The Chinese Education Conference 2009 will be on March 13-15 in San Francisco. Please visit the Conference Website for details and updates. The Chinese Education Conference (CEC) is the largest national conference dedicated to promoting Chinese education in the United States.

CEC provides:

• Hands-on teaching techniques and innovative resources
• Field experts and academic leaders from all over the country
• Networking opportunities for administrators and teachers

Attendees will broaden their vision of Chinese education and realize opportunities to develop effective programs.

Credentialing & Certification

Speaking Chinese does not equate with teaching it. The simplest way for administrators to recognize qualified teachers is to look for credentials or certification from authoritative organizations. Faced with a shortage of prepared teachers, CAIS Institute is now establishing a mechanism to credential both American and Chinese teachers. Chinese teachers will take part in CBEST preparation courses specifically tailored to help them pass their certification tests.