Habari Za Kiswahili: The History of Swahili Instruction at the K-12 Level in Madison, Wisconsin.

Since the enactment of the 1958 National Defense Education Act, funded universities have provided African language instruction at the postsecondary level. With an increased interest in the less commonly taught languages (LCT) demonstrated by the 1988 Foreign Language Assistance Act, several African Studies Center universities provide instruction in Swahili at the K-12 level. The role of Swahili instruction in Madison, Wisconsin is an expanding outreach service. This article examines academic and auxiliary Swahili programs available for students from grades 2 through 12 and includes descriptions of instructors, students, class facilities, materials, curriculum goals, and the current status of each program. Instructors of these programs suggested several recommendations for organizers of future African and LCT language programs. A successful LCT program requires the integration of these factors: cooperation of the school/organization administration, enthusiasm of the community and parents, collaboration with other instructors, adequate facilities, sufficient budget, well-planned curriculum and materials, articulation with other feeder programs, and appropriate scheduled class time. Appendices include information about teacher certification in Swahili and Swahili scope and sequence. (Author/JP)