Indiana University of Pennsylvania has received a third year
of funding from the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural
Affairs to continue the International Leaders in Education Program (ILEP). This
year’s funding is for $185,000.
This brings the total in grant funding to $555,000 for this
program.
As a recipient of the funds, IUP will, again this year, serve
as a host institution for 16 international secondary teachers (Fellows) from nine
countries for an immersive professional development experience.
The ILEP Fellows also will be on site to learn from teachers
at Indiana Area High School and Brashear High School in Pittsburgh to gain
different contexts and perspectives on the American educational system.
The focus of the program is to
promote and develop teaching best practices, leadership, technology integration
skills, and intercultural exchange. The ILEP Fellows are Bangladesh, Brazil,
Egypt, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Morocco, Philippines, and Tanzania.
The ILEP Fellows will participate in two academic courses as
well as two semester-long, noncredit workshops offered through the American
Language Institute delivered by faculty members in the IUP College of Education
and Communications: the Education Seminar and Technology course, taught by Laura
Strong and Lloyd Onyett.
After an orientation in Washington, D.C. from January 15 to
March 7, the ILEP Fellows will be in Indiana, spending Wednesdays at Indiana
Senior High School with selected partner teachers, and at Brashear High School
in Pittsburgh from March 21 to May 9.
Michele Petrucci, associate vice president for the Office of International Education and Global Engagement and executive director
of the American Language Institute, and Lara Luetkehans, dean of the College of Education and Communications, co-authored the grant application.
“It is truly an honor for IUP to be selected for a third year
to host the ILEP Fellows. We believe this grassroots, people-to-people
diplomacy effort is one small step towards increasing cultural awareness and
understanding which may lead to making the world more tolerant,” Petrucci said
“The past two cohorts of Fellows have found the IUP program enriching
and they learned a great deal both in and outside of classroom settings. In
turn, it was a beneficial experience for us as hosts to learn from the Fellows and
to gain a better appreciation for their countries and cultures. Their
engagement positively impacted all who they encountered: IUP students, faculty
and administrators, Indiana and Pittsburgh high school students and teachers,
and Indiana community members. The Fellows are excellent ambassadors for their
countries and the teaching profession.”
The workshops and seminars offered by IUP faculty
are designed to enhance the ILEP Fellows’ expertise in their teaching
disciplines and equip them with a deeper understanding of best practices in
teaching methodologies, planning professional development for their teacher
colleagues, and the use of technology in education, Luetkehans said.
“Partner teachers and their students in our partner schools
are also excited to be involved again. It’s a win for everyone involved,”
Luetkehans said.
The program is implemented by the International Research and
Exchanges Board (IREX). IUP is only one of four institutions selected as a host
university. The other host universities for spring 2018 are Arizona State
University, Kent State University, and James Madison University.
The program recognizes the “transformative power of an
effective teacher,” IREX officials note. The International Leaders in Education
Program is designed to offer teaching fellows with enhanced teaching
methodologies, lesson planning techniques, teaching strategies for their home
environments, leadership abilities, and technology skills through targeted
coursework, intensive training, and collaboration with colleagues from around
the globe.