Three of IFLE's Fulbright-Hays international education programs are currently holding competitions for the 2015 fiscal year funding period. The Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad (DDRA) program provides grants to colleges and universities to fund individual doctoral students who conduct research in other countries, in modern foreign languages and area studies for periods of 6 to 12 months. The Group Projects Abroad (GPA) short-term program funds projects that support overseas training, research, and curriculum development in modern foreign languages and area studies for groups of teachers, students, and faculty involved in a common endeavor. The Seminars Abroad (SA) program provides short-term study and travel seminars abroad for U.S. educators in the social sciences and humanities for the purpose of improving their understanding and knowledge of the peoples and cultures of other countries. This year, IFLE will offer one Seminar Abroad to China for K-12 educators.

"All students need to develop global competencies to succeed in their careers and communities in the 21st century, and these programs provide critical support to help educators and students develop these skills," says U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. "They support a key part of the Obama Administration's efforts to offer our students real experience with the world beyond their borders—experience with languages, cultures and societies very different from their own."

Click the link below for information about curriculum developed for U.S. classrooms by Seminars Abroad participants to China in summer 2014.

This January, the Center for International Business Education (CIBE) at the University of Colorado Denver organized a faculty development program to China. Participants focused on new developments in China's Five Year Plan, which depends on massive infrastructure projects and export-driven growth as primary models. The program was co-hosted by the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education and co-sponsored by CIBEs at: Brigham Young University, Florida International University, George Washington University, San Diego State University, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, University of Pittsburgh, University of South Carolina, and University of Washington.

Surviving the devastating Haiti earthquake of 2010 inspired University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumna Laura Wagner to write the young adult novel Hold Tight, Don’t Let Go, published by Harry N. Abrams in January 2015. Wagner was in Haiti on a Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowship to study the Creole language when the earthquake struck. Wagner explains that the 2010 earthquake “literally felt like the end of the world.” Wagner was rescued by neighbors and friends after several hours trapped in rubble. She later wrote an article in Salon about the experience, which led to the writing and publication of Hold Tight, Don’t Let Go.

Three Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad (DDRA) fellows were among the 89 presenters at the United States-India Education Foundation's Annual South and Central Asia Fulbright Conference, held March 1-5 this year in Hyderabad, India. Camille Frazier, fiscal year (FY) 2014 DDRA fellow in sociocultural anthropology at the University of California, Los Angeles, discussed “Authentic Producers and Conscientious Consumers: The Moral Economy of the Participatory Guarantee System in Karnataka.” Rachael Goodman, FY 2013 DDRA fellow in cultural anthropology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, presented her topic “Poverty as Vulnerability: NGOs and Survival Strategies in the Kumaon Himalayas.” Kathryn Zyskowski, FY 2013 DDRA fellow in sociocultural anthropology at the University of Washington, presented on “Aspiration and IT Education in Urdu Speaking Hyderabad.” All three fellows are doing their dissertation research in India.

IFLE Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS) Mohamed Abdel-Kader recently hosted two webinars for the IFLE grantee community. The first webinar, held on April 27, was a general session open to the entire grantee community and featured the theme "Ask the DAS". This kick-off session provided grantees with the chance to hear directly from the DAS and to ask him their questions in a more relaxed setting. The second webinar, held the following day on April 28, had a special focus on the Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language (UISFL) program and featured the participation of Senior Program Officer Tanyelle Richardson. The session mixed general information about IFLE and UISFL with targeted technical assistance for grantee institutions.

IFLE strives to provide great customer service and plans to use the webinar format more often in the coming months as a means of reaching out to and connecting with the grantee community. 

To hear about upcoming webinars and to receive more information about how to participate, please send an email to Carla White at carla.white@ed.gov.

Ten officials from the Chinese Ministry of Education and Chinese technical colleges visited the United States from April 26 to May 8, 2015, at the invitation of the U.S. Department of Education. IFLE and the Department's Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) hosted the delegation on April 27 in Washington, D.C. IFLE Deputy Assistant Secretary Mohamed Abdel-Kader, IFLE Senior Director Lenore Yaffee Garcia, OCTAE Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Colleges Mark Mitsui, and Accreditation Group Director Herman Bounds spoke to the group about the trends, strengths, and weaknesses in the field of American career and technical education. During their two-week visit to the U.S., the delegation traveled to Washington, D.C., Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and San Francisco, California. In addition to participating in meetings with federal, state, and local government agencies, they also visited a range or academic institutions including technical colleges, skills training centers, universities, vocational high schools, think tanks, and educational research centers and labs. The delegation visit was made possible through the Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad program.

The International and Foreign Language Education Office of the U.S. Department of Education is now on Twitter! Make sure to follow @GoGlobalED to receive updates on all of the latest news from the world of international and foreign language education in the U.S. We'll see you in the Twittersphere!

We want to hear from you! Do you have suggestions for webinar topics? Ideas for things to include in future newsletters? Send them to Carla White at carla.white@ed.gov.