Teacher Development
Teacher Exchanges
Although the U.S. Department of Education does not directly administer teacher exchange programs, it occasionally cooperates with the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and foreign ministries of education in the initial design and implementation of such programs. Teacher exchange programs provide U.S. and foreign participants with the opportunity to engage in professional development, learn about best practices abroad, improve foreign language skills, and deepen their understanding of the cultural context of instruction. In some cases, foreign teachers are temporarily placed in U.S. classrooms to serve as resources for bilingual and second language instruction. Examples of teacher exchange programs include the USAID-funded U.S.-Egypt Master Teacher Exchange Program, the U.S.-Brazil Teacher Exchange Program and the Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program.
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Teacher Studies
Through the APEC Education Network, 12 APEC members, including the United States, undertook a review of teacher preparation policies and practices, and focused a follow-up study on teacher induction practices in 1997, with case studies of induction in Australia, Japan, and New Zealand. Highlights from the studies are available on the web at www.apec.edu.tw