U.S. Embassy Bangkok invites interested secondary educators to apply for three summer 2020 Study of the U.S. Institutes for Secondary Educators which will take place over the course of five weeks beginning in late May/early June 2020.
Applicants can download the application form on the U.S. Embassy Bangkok website via this link https://th.usembassy.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/90/application-form-2019-susi-secondary-educators.docx.
Applications must be received at the Media and Cultural Section, U.S. Embassy Bangkok no later than Friday, January 10, 2020. Applications can be submitted to one of the following addresses:
Post
Media and Cultural Section (Application for 2019 SUSIs for Secondary Educators)
U.S. Embassy Bangkok
95 Wireless Road
Lumpini, Pathumwan
Bangkok 10330
Alternatively, you can email your application to us at PAExchangesBKK@gmail.com with the subject line, stating “Application for 2020 SUSIs for Secondary Educators_Your Full Name.”
Applicants will be selected for interview based on the criteria below. Interviews will take place at the Media and Cultural Section of the U.S. Embassy Bangkok in January 2020. Candidates will be notified regarding selection or non-selection by April 2020.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW:
The Study of the U.S. Institutes for Secondary Educators are intensive post-graduate level academic programs with integrated study tours whose purpose is to provide foreign secondary school educators and administrators the opportunity to deepen their understanding of U.S. society, culture, values, and institutions. The ultimate goal of the Institutes is to strengthen curricula and to enhance the quality of teaching about the United States in secondary schools and other academic institutions abroad. Prospective applicants are encouraged to visit our website page to obtain general information about the Institutes at http://exchanges.state.gov/susi.
The Study of the U.S. Institute for Secondary Educators will take place over the course of five weeks beginning in late May/early June 2020. Three Institutes for Secondary Educators will be offered, two with a focus on classroom teachers and the third with a focus on administrators including teacher trainers, curriculum developers, textbook writers, and ministry of education officials, among others. Each Institute will have 20 participants and will include a four-week academic residency component and a one-week integrated study tour.
INSTITUTE DESCRIPTION:
The Study of the U.S. Institutes for Secondary Educators will provide three multinational groups of 20 experienced secondary school educators (including teachers, administrators, teacher trainers, curriculum developers, textbook writers, ministry of education officials, and others) with a deeper understanding of U.S. society, education, and culture – past and present. The focus of the Institutes will be on providing content and materials for participants to develop high school level curricula about the United States. Two of the Institutes are tailored for secondary school teachers; please note that the Institutes for Teachers focus on content and materials about the United States rather than teaching methods and pedagogy. The third Institute is tailored for experienced administrators including teacher trainers, curriculum developers, textbook writers, ministry of education officials, and others.
Through a combination of traditional, multi-disciplinary, and interdisciplinary approaches, program content will examine the history and evolution of U.S. institutions and values, broadly defined. The programs will also serve to illuminate contemporary political, social, and economic debates in American society. The four-week academic residencies will take place at U.S. universities and colleges campuses and will consist of a balanced series of lectures, panels, seminar discussions, readings, workshops, site visits, meetings with practitioners in the field, and cultural activities. One-week study tours to a different region of the United States will complement the academic residencies. One goal of the study tours is to showcase the cultural, geographic, and ethnic diversity of the United States. The program features curriculum based on the study of how America’s foundations and historical development have shaped and continue to inform U.S. politics, economics, and society. A key cultural component of the program involves community service activities, which will provide participants with a first-hand experience of how volunteerism plays a vital role in U.S. civil society. The program will offer multiple opportunities for follow-on engagement through alumni webinars, grant-funded follow-on projects, social media, and an alumni workshop at the end of the three-year award period in 2021.
The University of Montana in Missoula, MT will oversee and administer the three Study of the U.S. Institutes for Secondary Educators under the unifying theme of “Liberty, Equality, and the American Dream.” All three Institutes will examine this topic through a different lens, capitalizing on the resources and culture of each location.
The University of Montana (UM) in Missoula, MT will host one Institute for Teachers from approximately May 31 to July 5, 2020. The Institute will explore American studies through the lens of democracy and citizenship.
The Institute for Training and Development (ITD) in Amherst, Massachusetts will host the second Institute for Teachers from June 6 to July 11, 2020. The Institute will explore the ways in which individual rights and social obligations have evolved through American history.
California State University at Chico will host the Institute for Administrators from June 3 to July 9, 2020. Within the overarching shared theme, the Institute will focus on access and equity in U.S. education and society.
All three Institutes will conclude with one-week study tours that end in Washington, D.C.
OTHER ESSENTIAL PROGRAM INFORMATION:
Program Funding: Through a Cooperative Agreement to the University of Montana, the Department of State will cover all participant costs including program administration; travel and ground transportation in the United States; housing and subsistence; and book, cultural, mailing, and incidental allowances.
Travel Arrangements: For all Institutes, the University of Montana will arrange and pay for participants’ international travel, travel allowance, and visa related travel costs. The University of Montana will also provide each participant with travel allowance. In all Institutes, the host institutions will cover all travel within the United States during the Institute.
Housing and Meal Arrangements: Participants may be asked to share living quarters during the residency portion (four weeks) of the Institute. During the study tour (up to one week), participants may share a hotel room with a participant of the same gender. During the residency, housing will typically be in college or university owned housing. Most meals will be provided at campus facilities, though participants may have access to a kitchen to cook some meals on their own. The host institutions will provide full details to participants in pre-institute communications via email and several webinars approximately six-weeks in advance of the Institute. Please explain the above possible housing arrangements to your nominees to ensure that they are comfortable with such arrangements, particularly sharing a room and/or living space with another participant for the duration of the Institute.
Host institutions will take care to ensure that any special requirements regarding diet, daily worship, housing, and medical care are satisfied.
Health Benefits: All participants will receive the Department of State’s coverage of up to $100,000, with a $25 co-pay per medical visit and a $75 co-pay per emergency room visit, for the duration of the program. Pre-existing conditions are not covered. Information on the health benefit program may be found online at https://www.sevencorners.com/gov/usdos.
Program Requirements and Restrictions: All participants are expected to participate fully in the program. Participants should be made aware of the rigorous nature of the Institute and the expectation that the success of the Institute depends on their full participation. Selected participants must attend all lectures and organized activities and complete assigned readings. Family members and/or friends cannot accompany participants on any part of the program. Candidates should be made aware that this is an intensive Institute and there will be little time for personal pursuits unrelated to the program. The Institute is not a research program.
CANDIDATE DESCRIPTION AND QUALIFICATIONS:
Study of the U.S. Institutes are highly competitive. Priority will be given to candidates who have firm plans to enhance, update or develop courses and/or educational materials with a U.S. studies focus or component, who have no or limited prior experience in the United States, and who have a special interest and experience in the field of secondary education as demonstrated through past scholarship, accomplishments, and professional duties.
Candidates should be mid-career, typically between the ages of 30-50, highly motivated and experienced secondary school teachers and administrators. Ideal candidates are individuals who are seeking to introduce or enhance aspects of U.S. studies into their curricula or to offer specialized seminars/workshops for education professionals in U.S. studies or related fields. While the nominee’s scholarly and professional credentials are an important consideration, the potential impact and multiplier effect of the Institute is equally important.
Candidates must demonstrate English language fluency. Institutes are rigorous and demanding programs; participants will be expected to handle substantial reading assignments in English and to fully and actively participate in all seminar and panel discussions. English fluency is vital to a successful experience in the Institute, both for your participant and participants from other countries.
Candidates must demonstrate English language fluency. Institutes are rigorous and demanding programs; participants will be expected to handle substantial reading assignments in English and to fully and actively participate in all seminar and panel discussions. English fluency is vital to a successful experience in the Institute, both for your participant and participants from other countries.
Candidates should be willing and able to fully take part in an intensive post-graduate level academic program and study tour. Candidates should be comfortable with campus life and an active program schedule.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
This FAQ section addresses some commonly asked questions. If you cannot find an answer to your question, please contact us at PAExchangesBKK@gmail.com with the subject line “2020 SUSIs for Secondary Educators.”
- What degree of English proficiency should I have? All participants must be fully proficient in English; throughout the Institute they will need to fully understand lectures, actively participate in discussions, and read and write assignments in English.
- To what extent do the Institutes for Secondary Educators cover teaching methods and pedagogy? SUSIs for Secondary Educators focus primarily on content, materials, and education related to the United States. The Institutes for teachers typically include a handful of sessions on teaching methodologies; however, these sessions are supplemental to the main focus of the Institute. Teachers more interested in teaching methods and pedagogy rather than U.S. content may wish to apply for the Teaching Excellence in Achievement (TEA) program or the International Leaders in Education Program (ILEP).
- Can a candidate who is a dual citizen (U.S. and country of origin) participate in Study of the U.S. Institutes? U.S. citizens and permanent residents (green card holders) are NOT eligible to participate in this program.
- I have been to the U.S. before; would I be disqualified? Candidates with some experience in the United States can be considered for the program. Please be sure to clearly indicate the purpose of your visit(s) to the United States, the year, and the length of your stay as requested on the application form. Preference will be given to nominees with little or no experience in the United States.
- Can family members of U.S. Embassy employees apply for the program? Immediate family members of U.S. Embassy employees are ineligible for this program.
- How much free time/time for independent research will a participant have during the program? There will be some free time during the program as well as some time designated for independent research. However, nominees MUST understand that this is an intensive academic program and they are expected to participate in all lectures, activities, and scheduled events. Participants in Secondary Educator Institutes may, at their own expense, opt to extend their stay in the United States after the close of their program to the extent allowed by visa regulations.
- If a candidate has relatives in the United States, would he/she have time to see them? Because of the intensive nature of the Institutes, participants will not be able to leave the Institute to visit relatives or friends. Participants in Secondary Educator Institutes may, at their own expense, opt to extend their stay in the United States after the close of their program to the extent allowed by visa regulations.
- Can a relative travel and stay with the participant during the Institute? Relatives are not permitted to travel or stay with a participant during the program. There are no exceptions to this rule. Participants in Secondary Educator Institutes may, at their own expense, opt to extend their stay in the U.S. after the close of their program to the extent allowed by visa regulations.
- Can a participant stay after the end of the Institute? Under the terms of their J-1 visas, participants generally have up to 30 days after the end of the program to depart from the U.S. However, the participant must be aware that he/she is responsible for all arrangements and expenses after the end of the Institute and will no longer have Department of State-sponsored health benefits.
- Can a participant arrive early/late for the Institute? The program expects the University of Montana (UM) to arrange flight itineraries so that participants arrive on the Institute start date. Occasionally, flight schedules necessitate that a participant to arrive a day early. These situations will be addressed on a case-by-case basis in consultation with the ECA program officer and post. Participants will have an opportunity to review their flight itinerary before it is booked. Once UM has booked the itinerary, the participant is responsible for making and paying for any itinerary changes, the participant chooses to change their plans.
- Can a participant miss one part or component of the Institute? All participants are expected to participate in all scheduled lectures, events, site visits, trips, and activities.
- How much money will participants need to bring for the program? The Study of the U.S. Institutes cover all costs of an individual’s participation including transportation, lodging, and meals. Generally, host institutions provide for meals through a combination of a cafeteria meal plan and cash allowance to permit participants to cook or eat at local restaurants. Information on housing and meal arrangements will be provided by the host institution six weeks prior to the start of the Institute. Participants should bring their own spending money if they wish to purchase souvenirs or other items during their time in the United States. Participants will receive a stipend to purchase books and research materials while in the United States.
- Will applicants with disabilities be considered? The program welcomes nominations for individuals with disabilities. We are committed to working with our Institute hosts to arrange reasonable accommodations for all participants. While notification of a disability will not negatively impact selection, please identify disabilities in the application so that we can begin working with our Institute hosts to ensure appropriate accommodations.
- If a candidate is chosen as an alternate, what are the chances that he/she will participate in the program? If a selected candidate is not able to participate, the program will choose a candidate from the alternate list, if time allows. Alternates are listed in alphabetical order (not rank) on the selection cables.
