Recognizing the importance of teacher support and involvement, in 1995 USIA provided grants for American educators to travel to Russia and for Russian educators to travel to the U.S.

SELECTION: U.S. educators were nominated by their school districts. Russian educators were nominated by the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation or the Moscow City Department of Education.

PREPARATION: Three months prior to travel, orientation workshops addressed languages, culture, history, customs and arts of the host country.

CALENDAR: American educators traveled to Russia for three weeks in November; Russian educators traveled to the U.S. the following April.

IN COUNTRY: Educators were partnered with teachers who had similar school responsibilities. They lived in each other’s homes, attended each other’s schools and became acquainted with each other’s communities.

DEBRIEFING: Discussion sessions were designed to assess the impact of educators’ travel experience, determine how the program could be more effective and to plan ways in which communication with partners and their parents can continue.

IMMEDIATE IMPACT: 142 educators from 52 U.S. and Russian schools and teacher training institutes participated

LONG-TERM IMPACT: Educators have made return visits to their host countries, at times taking their children and spouses along to meet host partners; Teachers have maintained contact, developing school projects, sharing teaching strategies and materials and expanding the program to other students within their area of influence.