Indiana University of Pennsylvania has received $300,000 to continue to host the Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Program for International Teachers.
This is the seventh year that IUP has been funded for the program; in all, IUP has received more than $1.5 million for the initiative.
For fall 2022, IUP is one of only two universities in the nation chosen as a host institution for the program, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and administered by the International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX).
The program brings selected international primary and secondary educators to the United States to take courses for professional development, observe and share their expertise with U.S. colleagues, and take back what they’ve learned and share it in their home countries. The educators also will complete individual or group “Inquiry Projects,” designed to be relevant to the educators’ education practice in their home country.
This fall, IUP will host 21 educators from 14 countries, who will complete professional development coursework at IUP and be guest teachers in the Indiana Area School District and in the Pittsburgh Public School system. The international educators are a mix of primary and secondary teachers and administrators.
The visiting teachers will be at IUP and the area schools from Aug. 9 to Dec 8. They come from Botswana, Brazil, Finland, Greece, India, Indonesia, Israel, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, the Philippines, Senegal, Singapore, and Uganda.
Since spring 2016, including the 2022 cohort, IUP has hosted 120 international educators through this program and its forerunner, International Leaders in Education Program. Seven students who participated in the program have returned to pursue graduate programs at IUP.
Dr. Michele Petrucci, associate vice president for international education and global engagement and director of IUP’s Office of International Education, and Dr. Lara Luetkehans, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, are co-principal investigators of the grant. The program began as a joint initiative of the College of Education and Communications under Dr. Luetkehans as the college dean and the Office of International Education.
“It is an honor to be selected to host this prestigious K-12 educator program for the seventh year,” Dr. Petrucci said. “The Fulbright DAI participants are chosen for the program because they are some of the most outstanding professionals in their countries, so this program is a win for all involved – the visiting educators learn from their experiences here, and we gain a great deal from them,” she said.
“IUP is honored to be consistently selected as a host institution for this program,” Dr. Luetkehans said. “It certainly speaks to IUP’s outstanding reputation for teacher education and professional development of teachers, and the extraordinary work of our Office of International Education, which is known for its commitment to serving international students during their studies here, and for developing outstanding programming to advance international education,” she said.
“IUP also is very grateful for the partnerships with our local school district and the Pittsburgh Public School District --- they have welcomed our international educators in all ways and provide unique opportunities for these teachers to interact with their teachers, students, and families,” Dr. Luetkehans said.