For Immediate Release: September 3, 2012
Contact: Mary Trupo (202) 482-3809
Science and Technology Programs Take Center Statge at Education Mission's Second Stop
Brazil’s Science without Borders Initiative, Texas Tech University Partnership Top Agenda
SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL – U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Francisco Sánchez is highlighting the enhanced opportunities for Brazil’s science and technology students to study in America today during the second stop of an education services trade mission in São Paulo. Sánchez met with the American Chamber of Commerce in São Paulo’s “Science Without Borders” Task Force, and toured Colégia Pio XII – a high school that partners with Texas Tech University to offer its students a dual-diploma program.
Brazilian President Dilma Roussef launched the “Science Without Borders” (SWB) initiative in 2011, with plans to increase the number of Brazilians studying at the best science and technology undergraduate and graduate programs in the world to 101,000 by the end of 2015.
“We anticipate a good portion of these students will study at U.S. colleges and universities, creating a win-win for both our countries,” Sánchez told SWB Task Force members. “When international students come to the United States to study at some of the world's top universities they contribute to the diversity and economies of those local communities. Education exports in total contribute $21 billion to our nation's economy each year and we welcome the world's students to come to the United States and take a seat in classrooms from California to Connecticut.”
Texas Tech University, one of 66 U.S. colleges and universities participating in the mission, first launched a partnership in 1999 between the Texas Tech University Independent School District (TTUISD) and the Leonardo da Vinci Educational Center in Vitória, Brazil. The schools offer a dual-diploma high school program that enables students to pursue a Texas high school diploma without leaving their hometown.
The full-English curriculum has been implemented in 24 schools throughout Brazil, and Colégio Pio XII joined the consortium of participating schools in 2009. The TTUISD curriculum consists of U.S. high school courses in literature, writing, history, economics, and government, all taught online with Texas certified teachers and with the inclusion of resident teachers in each of the Brazilian schools. In January 2013, the TTUISD Brazil program will expand to an additional 15 schools.
“The students here have incredible potential, and U.S. educational institutions want to help nourish this potential by having them come to study in America,” Sánchez said. “In turn, we’ll learn from them about Brazil’s culture and history, and hear their perspectives on important global issues.”
Education and training rank among the top 10 U.S. services exports. Tuition and living expenses from international students and their families brought in nearly $21 billion to the U.S. economy during the 2010-2011 academic year.
The mission concludes in Rio de Janeiro on September 6. This trade mission advances President Obama’s National Export Initiative which aims to double U.S. exports by the end of 2014, supporting economic and job growth.###
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