TUCSON, Ariz.

An interpreter-training program at the University of Arizona center has won a highly selective U.S. Department of Education grant that will allow it to develop an online curriculum for schools around the nation.

The university announced that its National Center for Interpretation Testing, Research and Policy received a $600,000 grant from the Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education, or FIPSE. More than 100 institutions applied, and the UA center was among the few institutions to receive an award.

With the grant, the center will develop a Web-based in-service training for Spanish and English as a Second Language teachers who can apply what they learn to the classroom.

Agnese Haury, a local philanthropist and UA supporter, contributed matching funds and the UA provost, vice president for research, College of Humanities and University Information Technology Services also provided resources and expertise.

Such support will enable the internationally known center to take its “Preparación Online” secondary-level curriculum to schools and districts with high populations of bilingual, bicultural Hispanic students.

The project involves redesigning the center's in-service translation and interpretation curriculum along with an online program to train teachers. The center will initially target particular schools in Arizona, California, Texas, Illinois and New York.

"Teachers report that their added knowledge of interpreting and translation makes them better, more capable teachers, and the curriculum has given them the gift of students who are excited about learning," said Roseann Dueñas González, the center's director and principal investigator on the project.

"I'm extremely excited about this project as it will have a significant impact on Latino students' academic growth, college readiness, and movement into a higher education pathway," she added.