For Secondary School Educators

Fact Sheet

The United States Government is offering two Australian secondary educators an opportunity to attend one of two fully funded six-week seminars on the Study of the United States in the winter of 2012.

This program is limited to no more than 30 individuals worldwide (English teachers, teacher trainers, curriculum developers, textbook writers, ministry of education officials, etc.), and includes a four-week residency at the host campus followed by a two-week study tour to other U.S. venues to be determined.

The U.S. Department of State will pay costs associated with the program, including international travel and allowances.

The timelines for the selection process are also tight so those interested in applying to the seminars are encouraged as a matter of priority to contact the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy at Canberra-PAS@state.gov for further details and to be issued with the application/biodata form.

Applications close November 30, 2011

The seminars are intended to promote a better understanding of the United States among secondary educators and government education officials whose professional responsibilities center on study of the humanities and social sciences in high schools.

The Study of the U.S. Institutes for Secondary Educators will provide participants with a more comprehensive understanding of U.S. politics, culture, and society. Through a variety of traditional, multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches, the programs will elucidate the history and evolution of U.S. institutions and values, broadly defined, and have a strong contemporary component. The institutes serve to illuminate the contemporary political, social, and economic debates in American society.

Hosted by: Institute for Training and Development, Amherst, Mass.
The Institute for Secondary School Educators
Hosted by: California State University, Chico

The Institute for Secondary School Educators provides two multinational groups of 30 experienced and highly-motivated secondary school educators* with a deeper understanding of U.S. society and culture, past and present in order to enhance the scope and depth of the participants’ own secondary school courses. The Institute examines political, economic, and cultural issues in America as well as current trends in secondary education. Participants also have the opportunity to visit sites relevant to U.S. history and prominent Americans they are teaching about in their home countries. During the Institute, each participant will use their experiences to develop
new lesson plans, training materials, or academic articles.

Participants at the Institute hosted by the Institute for Training and Development (ITD) will complement the campus program with a study tour to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming (to explore American environmental stewardship) and to Salt Lake City, Utah (to explore pluralism). The participants at the Institute hosted by the California State University, Chico (CSU) participate in a study tour that explores civic engagement in Midwestern communities in Chicago, Illinois; Dubuque, Iowa; and Platteville, Wisconsin. Both the ITD and the CSU study tours showcase the rich cultural, geographic, and ethnic diversity of the United States.

*This includes teachers, teacher trainers, textbook writers, curriculum developers and education ministry officials.

Tentative program dates: To be announced in mid-February, but expected to be from early June to August 2011.

The ideal candidate will be an experienced professional with little or no prior
experience in the United States, whose home institution is seeking to introduce aspects of U.S. studies into its curricula, to develop new courses in the subject of the institute, to enhance and update existing courses on the United States, or to offer specialized seminars/workshops for education professionals in U.S. studies.

Updates and further detail on the above seminars will be available in mid March.

Placements are strictly limited there can be only one successful
candidate per seminar.