About the Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program

The Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program (FTEA) is six-week non-degree, non-credit academic program hosted at a U.S. University sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State. The Program will provides approximately 168 secondary school teachers from East Asia and the Pacific, Europe and Eurasia, the Near East, South and Central Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Western Hemisphere with a unique opportunity to develop greater expertise in their subject areas, enhance their teaching skills, and increase their knowledge about the United States.

The international participants will travel to the United States for one of two six-week professional development programs. The program provides academic seminars on new teaching methodologies and strategies, student-centered learning, content-based instruction, lesson planning, and instructional technology training for teachers. Intensive English language instruction are offered to teachers who need additional practice. It also includes a practicum of at least 40 hours with a U.S. partner teacher in a U.S. secondary school near the host university to actively engage participants in the U.S. classroom environment.

After returning home, teachers who successfully complete the program are eligible to compete for small grants awards for essential teaching materials, follow-on training for other teachers, collaborative projects between participating American schools and their home schools, and other activities that build on the exchange experience.

Eligibility

Applicants must: 

• Be current secondary school-level*, full-time teachers of English, English as a Foreign Language (EFL), math, science, or social studies, including special education teachers in those subjects at an institution serving primarily a local population; • Have earned a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent; 
• Have completed at least five years of full-time teaching by the start of the program; 
• Reside in the country of citizenship at the time of application and of program participation; 
• Earn a minimum score of 450 on the paper based TOEFL or an equivalent English language examination**; 
• Demonstrate a commitment to continue teaching after completion of the program; and 
• Have submitted a complete application. 

* Secondary-level teachers include both middle and high school teachers serving students between approximately 12 and 18 years of age. Teachers responsible for teaching additional grade levels must teach middle or high school students more than 50% of their work time in order to be eligible for the program.

 **A limited number of participants with TOEFL scores between 425 and 450 or equivalent will be accepted into a special cohort of the program with additional English language training provided.

The FTEA fellowship is fully-funded and provides:

• J-1 visa support;
• A pre-departure orientation held in participant’s home country
• Round-trip airfare to and within the U.S;
• A Welcome Orientation in Washington, D.C.;
• Academic program fees;
• Housing (generally shared with other program fellows) and meals;
• Accident and sickness medical insurance coverage;
• Transportation to the teaching practicum school

(If necessary);

• A daily allowance for meals and incidentals during the academic program;
• A baggage/shipping allowance (domestic and international);
• A book/professional development allowance; and