Host Nation

The Host Nation program provides DoDDS elementary school students with a cross-cultural and language acquisition focus to develop an appreciation and understanding of the culture and language of the country in which they are located.

Host nation education is a unique feature of the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) K-6 school program and is designed to provide elementary school students with an introduction to host nation languages, taught by host nation teachers, as an essential experience of the DoDEA curriculum. In addition, with host nation teachers as guides, students participate in activities which build appreciation and understanding of the culture of the country in which they are located.

The purpose of this guide is to provide content standards and performance outcomes for host nation and classroom teachers, students, principals, second language liaisons, district office staff, and parents in order to implement the program effectively. The host nation and classroom teachers coordinate a progression of student activities which acquaint the students with the host nation and its language and reinforce other curricular studies.

As DoDEA endeavors to provide opportunities for students to communicate in multilingual and multicultural societies, the host nation program offers students language skills and cross-cultural understanding that they need in the 21st century.

Students will achieve personal, social, vocational competency and environmental adaptability in the host nation country.
Students will achieve functional proficiency in the second language.
Students will have an opportunity to implement locally social studies selected themes.
Classroom and host nation teachers will develop intercultural collegiality.
Parents will have an opportunity to grow interculturally with their youngsters.

Host Nation Standards are available in WORD version or PDF version (19 pages)

The Host Nation Program (2 pages) (676KB PDF) tri-fold document is in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format.

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