School Administrator Handbook

TOGETHER, MAKING A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE

ABOUT US

Education Travel & Culture (ETC) is a non-profit [501(c)(3)] educational exchange organization. Our purpose is to promote international understanding and goodwill by providing high quality educational and cultural exchange programs in the United States and abroad. ETC provides inbound program opportunities for high school students throughout the world to study in an American high school and live with an American family. Host families provide room and board, a quiet place to study, and an American family experience for guest students during their semester

program offers students the chance to study and live in sister organization and short term summer student exchange program, please visit Northwest International Student Exchange (NISE) at www.nwise.org.

MISSION

To promote international understanding and goodwill by providing high quality educational and cultural exchange programs in the United States and abroad.

AWARDS

ETC has been a member of CSIET since 2000 and has maintained a full listing on their advisory list since 2002. ETC has been awarded the Darkness to Light Partner in Prevention distinction each year since 2015. This commitment to the prevention of child sexual abuse and to helping children grow up in a healthy home.

CONTACT INFORMATION

ETC: BRINGING THE WORLD TO YOUR CLASSROOM

Today, not only parents, but governments, businesses, and industries are depending upon America's high schools to ensure that their graduates are internationally aware and interculturally competent and prepared to participate effectively in today's diverse workplace and global marketplace. The stakes are high, as our nation's security and standing in the world are riding upon our schools' ability to prepare students to be citizens of the world. These demands are pervasive in every sector of society and international youth exchange programs can help your school meet these challenges To take advantage of the benefits of having international exchange students contribute to your school community, schools only need to open their doors to hosting and consider how to support and accredit the experiences of young Americans who go abroad. If you have any questions, CSIET and ETC are here to help.

ETC Provides Study Abroad Opportunities for U.S. High School Students

Prepare your students to live, work, and succeed in a global economy. Study abroad connects American high school students with future leaders around the global challenges such as human rights, community development, workforce development, climate change, and global health. Scholarship opportunities are open to all American high school students who meet program eligibility criteria See more at: http:// exchanges.state.gov/us/high-school

ETC students come prepared to make the most out of their high school year in the US. They fully participate and integrate into their school, host family and community and then they return to their home country to further impact their world.

Matt Thatcher Principal, Cascade High School

"The ETC students we have hosted have been a highlight at Cascade High School each year. The students integrate well, are very supported by the program, and bring a new cultural awareness to our students that we could not replicate any other way. Because of our mostly rural surroundings, many of our students do not typically have the opportunity to experience other cultures. Exchange students from ETC have had a tangible and exciting impact on our students and community. In light of these benefits, we plan on having a long relationship with ETC, and would recommend the experience highly to any school or district that is looking for genuine ways to expand their cross cultural opportunities for students."

-Matt Thatcher

RECOMMENDATIONS

"The US will be less competitive and less secure if our schools do not urgently expand instruction in world languages, economics and cultures. Knowledge of the world is no longer a luxury for a few, it is a necessity for us all.”

-Vivian Stewart Executive Director, National Coalition on Asian and International Studies In American Schools

of coordinators who place students, follow their progress, and support them through enculturation, and academic concerns. ETC consists of good communicators and supportive individuals who can be flexible to meet the varied demands of teenagers. I recommend ETC and its highly professional Field Managers."

-Ruthi Manning-Freeman Assistant Director for Learning Services Academy School District 20

“We have worked with ETC for over 7 years and they never fail to provide us with quality students who are well prepared for their exchange. Additionally the program is always there to ensure that host families and students are well supported. They make the application process so much easier for us than other programs that we have worked with in the past.”

-Christine Collings Counselor Elizabeth High School

"On behalf of the faculty and students at Imagine Prep, we would like to thank you and your organization for your thoughtfulness and generosity that you have shown all of us. We appreciate the attention and care that you have given our ETC students. You have enriched their lives in so many ways. You really represent the very best of our American lifestyle and the American Dream.

- Thomas Hulstrom Foreign Student Advisor Imagine Prep High School

“Working with Education Travel & Culture has been a wonderful experience. Transitioning our new student has been seamless and fulfilling to know that we are providing a wonderful opportunity to a student from another country. The information provided to us through Educational Travel & Culture allowed us to properly place our student in the correct classes. I look forward to a continued relationship with Education Travel and Culture.”

-Steve Threadgill Assistant Principal Cortez High School

ETC STUDENTS ETC TEAM

Are thoroughly screened and receive a Pre-Departure Orientation prior to leaving their home country and an Arrival Orientation once in the USA

Are between 14 and 18 years old and are on a J-1 VISA

Carry comprehensive medical insurance and $300 a month in spending money

Receive a 222 or higher on their ELTiS (English proficiency exam)

Must maintain a C or better average

Must pay for a tutor if their grades drop below average

Must take English and American History classes

Serve as ambassadors in their high schools and eagerly participate in International Education

Week and Giving Tuesday

Our Local Coordinators and staff receive extensive training that far exceeds the US Department of State standards, including sexual abuse awareness and prevention training

Coordinators meet with students and host families (at least) monthly to provide ongoing support and mediation for students and host families as needed

Coordinators also serve as emergency host families if a student should need to be moved

ETC has a full student support team that provides guidance for Coordinators, students and families and are available 24 hours a day

Many ETC Coordinators have hosted students and were exchange students themselves

"THE BEAUTY OF THE WORLD LIES IN THE DIVERSITY OF IT’S PEOPLE."

DEPT. OF STATE

In 1999, ETC was designated by the US Department of State as a J-I visa program. Participating students receive DS-2019 forms in order to obtain J-1 visas.

DARKNESS TO LIGHT

ETC has been awarded the Darkness to Light Partner in Prevention distinction for 2023/2024. This distinction represents ETC's commitment to the prevention of child sexual abuse and to helping children grow up healthy and whole.

CSIET

ETC has been a member of the Council on Standards for International Educational Travel (CSIET) since 2000 and has maintained a full listing on their advisory list since 2002.

PVSA

ETC host parents and siblings can earn the prestigious President's Volunteer Service Award by hosting an ETC student. The awards are offered in multiple levels and are designed to recognize each milestone of service achievement

Education Travel & Culture (ETC) is a non-profit organization providing inbound and outbound international exchange opportunities for high school students. We have an outstanding reputation for providing personal attention and service throughout the entire process.

ETC was founded as a small, personalized organization in 1998. Our mission is to promote international understanding and goodwill by providing high quality educational and cultural exchange programs. Students and families are exposed to diverse cultural experiences that foster awareness and interest in the exchange of culture, lifestyle, language and ideas. This international exchange experience contributes to the

ETC is designated by the US State Department to issue J-1 visas and has full listing with the Council on Standards for International Educational Travel (CSIET).

ETC provides Inbound Program opportunities for high school students throughout the world to study in an American high school and live with a volunteer American host family.

ETC Outbound Programs are focused on the academic and personal development of students willing to experience life abroad. ETC is not a travel agency or tourist organization. We are looking for students that are serious about understanding another culture, developing proficiency in a foreign language, and willing to share their culture with others. ETC offers a number of merit-based scholarships.

ETC has a sister organization and short term summer student exchange program called Northwest International Student Exchange www.nwise.org The NISE Standard Homestay is an English Language instruction, activity centered, academic homestay program lasting 2 to 4 weeks.

ETC also has a Private High School Student Exchange Program (ETC-PSE) for students who wish to attend a SEVIS sponsored private high school. Many of these are returning students from our 3-1 programs who wish to attend school in the U.S. for a second or third year.

ETC students are between the ages of 14 -18. They are carefully screened and have a strong command of the English language with /689 . Students come on a J-1 Visa and attend their local high school. Students are required to maintain passing grades and take classes in English and American History or Civics. Students have not graduated high school in their home country. ETC students are not guaranteed a diploma. Students are expected to act as ambassadors for their home country and ETC and therefore we have the highest standards and expectations in the industry. Students come with comprehensive medical insurance. Students are responsible for their own personal expenses including school activity charges, class fees, clothes, travel expenses, entertainment, bus passes, long distance phone charges, and lunches purchased at school.

ETC Host Families are volunteers who provide international students with a window in which to view and understand American life and culture. Students are welcomed as a family member and treated with the same amount of respect and compassion as other family members. Students are expected to follow the family rules and assist with household chores the same way an American son or daughter might.

ETC has a dedicated network of Local Coordinators (LCs) throughout the USA. Our LCs are the first point of contact for any questions or concerns the families, schools or students may have. Throughout the duration of the student's experience with a host family, the ETC Local Coordinator (LC) is available to assist the student and family. The LC meets monthly with the student to monitor host family, social and academic progress. They also obtain monthly academic progress reports from the school.

MEET OUR TEAM

SHERI QUIROS National/Regional Manager

KRISTIE HALANDER Regional Manager

SILVIA PHILLIPS Student Support Manager

KIRSTEN BOONE Operations Manager

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS BY SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS

STUDENT SCREENING

How carefully do you evaluate your students? We’ve seen kids in the past who really shouldn’t have been here.

All of our students must go through a very thorough evaluation process before they are accepted into our program. They are screened for maturity, strength of goals, demonstrated leadership and ability to adapt to the challenges of life in the U.S. They provide personal and academic references, school transcripts, immunization/health records and a personal essay written in English. English skills are evaluated in their home countries by qualified English instructors who assess their ability to speak, read and write, assigning a separate score for each. They must be able to fully participate in an American high school.

What if a student arrives with weak English? We’ve seen scores that don’t correspond with their abilities.

American English than in the practice environment of their home country. Usually we see good improvement, once they adjust to life in the U.S. It is our responsibility to find them a tutor, if this problem persists over time. Our students are never allowed to languish in a classroom.

HOST FAMILY SCREENING

Do you screen your host families thoroughly and properly match the students? We’ve had

STUDENT’S EXPECTATIONS

Will the student expect a diploma? We do not provide this and often students tell us they were promised this opportunity overseas.

The ETC Terms of Participation, which the student and natural parents sign, states that they are not guaranteed a diploma. Many exchange students have known others who were awarded diplomas while in the U.S. but during their application process, a student is always informed that this is entirely up to the school. Always let us know if this becomes an issue and we will intervene. Furthermore students are expected to take American History or US Government and English. Our Terms of Participation are clear that students must abide by all school rules and policies regarding attendance, class participation, and class selection. While our students are strongly encouraged to participate in sporting teams, clubs and extracurricular activities, they are aware that they may not be able to join due to limited space or tryouts.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS BY SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS

STUDENT RECORDS AND FILES

LOCAL COORDINATOR SUPPORT

How often do you see the students? Some of these students seem to be here with no one looking out for them.

All of our staff members must visit monthly both with families and students. This is essential for the well-being reward stems from the relationships we form with our students and families.

What is your policy for maintaining good contact with our school? Many local representatives don’t stay in touch once the student arrives. We will be in contact with a guidance counselor approximately every 6 weeks, more if needed during the early adjustment period. We write a monthly progress report on each student and this is not considered a

INTRODUCTION

The Council on Standards for International Educational Travel (CSIET), in partnership with the secondary school community, has developed the following document to assist American schools in the process of administering successful international student exchange programs. CSIET, a national non-profit foundation, is dedicated to promoting quality international youth exchanges that enrich local high school communities. The CSIET Model School Policy was developed with valuable input from individual high school administrators, exchange program managers, and national advocates for youth exchange. These suggested guiding principles will provide a foundation for local school policies and encourage every U.S. school to engage in international youth exchange programs. Current events clearly show how much more interconnected all of us are to the whole world. This gives schools ever more impressive reasons for accepting international exchange students enthusiastically and using them as resources to broaden student and community perspectives on the world.

Youth exchanges provide foreign exchange students with an American experience, giving them a more balanced understanding of our country. They encourage new perspectives for the school's own students that open their minds to the world. More importantly, these 'connections' help teenagers on both sides of exchange grow and gain maturity.

he concept of exchange programs began more than half a century ago with the Fulbright-Hays Act. High-level officials have supported international student exchange every year since. These cross-cultural experiences offer unique opportunities for American schools to help their students and communities:

•Learn first-hand about other cultures and customs

•Create life-long friendships across cultures

•Gain new perspectives on our country and the world

•Begin to understand how tightly connected the peoples and countries of the world are to each other, something our world seriously needs

Open young minds to the importance of understanding other languages and other cultures, particularly with respect to career and personal opportunities

At the same time, schools have a right to expect that international exchange students and student exchange programs to adhere guidelines that will minimize problems and make success more likely. In all international exchange programming, the human dynamic may sometimes complicate matters for administrators. However, the critical element is the ongoing relationship between the exchange program and the school as well as the responsiveness of the exchange program. Once this relationship is formed and articulated, problems can usually be managed effectively and ultimately resolved. International exchange students offer an exciting resource. Many schools have created special events and programs to encourage all students to get to know these guests from other cultures and expand their own horizons and interests. Such efforts also help exchange students feel comfortable in an all new life by taking full advantage of their opportunities.

International youth exchange programs internationalize American high schools one exchange at a time. Thank you for your support of these seminal programs. You are helping to mold our next generation of world leaders.

THIS MODEL SCHOOL POLICY ON INTERNATIONAL STUDENT EXCHANGE HAS B EN ENDORSED BY: NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SECONDARY SCHOOL PRINCIPALS (NASSP); NATIONAL FEDERATION OF STATE HIGH SCHOOL ASSOCIATIONS (NFHS) AND AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS (AASA).

Created by high school and organization members of CSIET, Fall 2002. To review current CSIET Standards or to review J-Visa federal regulations visit:

http://exchanges.state.gov/education/iexchanges/resources.htm

NUMBER OF INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE

STUDENTS

American high schools should strive to accept international exchange students each year. The number of international exchange students that a high school will accept and the timing/deadlines for the process vary. These guidelines suggest a middle ground that recognizes the needs of schools and exchange programs, taking into account the increasing difficulty of securing early student applications and host family commitments. Ideally, schools should work toward a goal of 1% of the total student population being comprised of exchange students. Acknowledging that school conditions vary locally, it is important to set a personal goal that best fits each school community.

The school asks that organizations contact the school each year to indicate an interest in placing exchange students. Exchange organizations should provide schools with advance notice of their intent to place.

- The school is to be notified as soon as Student and Host Family match-ups are confirmed.

- Recognizing the timing of school staffing and resourcing, exchange organizations should submit Student and Host Family applications as early as possible or up to two weeks prior to the school's start date. However, acknowledging the difficulty of securing Host Family commitments, the school will try to accept applications until school starts. (Note: The U.S. State Department federal J-visa regulations permit the placement of exchange students up to August 31 of each year.)

TIMING OF PLACEMENT PROCESS SELECTING STUDENT EXCHANGE PROGRAMS

- The school reserves the right to work with exchange organizations that have proved their commitment and responsiveness.

-The school will also be open to new organizations that demonstrate a serious commitment to the school and community.

SCHOOL EXPECTATIONS OF STUDENT EXCHANGE PROGRAM

All schools should reserve right of final approval on all student placements. Additionally, schools should require that each individual student exchange program must:

- Be listed in the most current CSIET Advisory List (for the current list visit www.csiet.org).

- Maintain a network of qualified and trained local representative living in or near the community, with responsibility for each student and provide orientation and on going support for both the host family and student.

-Provide continuing hands on monitoring and responsiveness from local representative to national headquarters including student selection and preparation, selection and screening of host families, ongoing contact with host family and student, and communication with the school and responsiveness to school needs.

-Receive school enrollment authorization for placements each year prior to contacting potential host families and follow school policy on timing and requirements.

-Arrange host family placements before exchange students leave their home country. Exchange students are expected to be in their host family and school placements by the first day of classes.

-Personally interview and screen all potential host families, matching student and family interests and personalities.

Not knowingly place exchange students based on their athletic abilities.

-In the event that tutoring/ESL help is needed, the organization will make arrangements and ensure that the student accepts financial responsibility for it.

- Provide the school with a complete student application

SCHOOL EXPECTATIONS FOR STUDENTS ON J-1 VISA SPONSORSHIPS

- Each exchange student must be qualified to participate in regular classes and maintain a typical schedule this means an acceptable level of proficiency in the English language, a commitment to treat coursework as important, and the social skills to enjoy participation in social and extra curricular activities.

-International exchange students must be aware that participating in interscholastic athletic teams means they must comply with district and state athletic eligibility regulations, and that many teams require try outs.

- The school appreciates the difficulty of a student's plunge into a different language/culture/institution, but exchange students are expected to attain passing grades by the end of their first semester.

-Exchange students; enrollment eligibility will be for one year only exchange students and host families are expected to know and must follow all school policies and rules.

-Exchange students must have medical and accident insurance that meets or exceeds U.S. Department of State guidelines.

-Since there is wide variation of graduation policies in the United States, exchange students will understand that they are not guaranteed the ability to graduate or be granted diplomas.

SCHOOL RESPONSIBILITIES

- Students on U.S. State Department sponsored programs (J-1 visas) generally pay no tuition, but they are expected to pay all normal expenses, including standard course and extracurricular activity fees. The school has no obligation to provide any special services, tutoring, supplies or equipment.

International exchange students have all rights and privileges accorded to community students EXCEPT the right to a diploma.

-The school will make every effort to integrate international exchange students into the school's social fabric. In turn, schools shall encourage international exchange students to participate enthusiastically in school activities, to make friends, to make a personal contribution to the school and to help spread the word about their country and themselves.

ETC STUDENTS DREAM OF COMING TO AMERICA AND STUDYING IN HIGHLY RATED HIGH SCHOOLS LIKE YOURS. THEY ARE FOREVER GRATEFUL AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU! www.edutrav.org

ETC STUDENTS DREAM OF COMING TO AMERICA AND STUDYING IN HIGHLY RATED HIGH SCHOOLS LIKE YOURS. THEY ARE FOREVER GRATEFUL AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU!