International Students: Effective Ways to Find, Welcome, and

Mentor Them in our School Communities

Carl HobertBoston University

“Les Penseurs”

Quote 1

“An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.”    

- Gandhi

Quote 2

 “The ultimate measure of a person is not where s/hestands in moments of comfort and convenience, butwhere s/he stands at times of challenge andcontroversy.”  

- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Quote 3

“Tell me and I will forget. Show me and I may remember. Involve me and I will understand.”

 

- Confucius

Quote 4

- Please write down the THREE most important things that we can do NOW to help prepare our students/our children for their futures in our shrinking planet.

 

- You, sharing thoughts with one other person

International Students’ View of the US?

 

The importance of being multilingual!

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSdxqIBfEAw

“Dad, Donny and I are taking a year off to volunteer for the Pizza Corps.”

Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn

Tom Friedman

Today’s Schedule• 9:30 am – 10:00 am Participants arrive• 10:00 am – 10:45 am Welcome/overview of workshop/ice breaker, team- building exercises

and workshop introduction, led by Carl Hobert• 10:45 am – 11:30 am Goal 1: Current international branding and international student

recruitment practices• 11:30 am – 11:45 am Break• 11:45 am – 12:30 pm Goal 2: Post-admission international student support offerings• 12:30 pm – 12:45 pm Morning debriefing• 12:45 am – 1:15 pm Working lunch: Discussion of “How China’s New Love Affair with US

Private Schools is Changing them Both” (The Atlantic, March 28, 2012)• 1:15 pm – 1:30 pm Ice breaker/team-building exercises• 1:30 pm – 2:15 pm Goal 3: Getting vital support from US-based faculty, students and families• 2:15 pm – 2:45 pm Goal 4: How to develop global classrooms – and Raise Global IQ in our

NYSAIS communities• 2:45 pm – 3:00 pm Groups report on final implementation plans• 3:00 pm – 3:30 pm Workshop debriefing and evaluation

Introduction• 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.

Introduction:Numbers to Accept

• Many independent 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 depending on the schools, it is important to set a personal goal that best fits each school community.

Introduction:Timing of Placement Process

• 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.)

Introduction: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.

Introduction: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 ongoing 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.

• Screen and prepare exchange students while monitoring their progress during the school year, responding to issues or problems as they develop.

• 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 which includes the following:• personal letter from the student• detailed information on student and natural family• proof that the student has sufficient language ability to function in an American classroom• original transcript of student's high school grades, with English translation (and this must meet school requirements)• necessary medical history, including proof of immunization as required by the school district, any medical/physical restrictions and a recent

physical exam with proof of required immunizations

Introduction: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.

Introduction: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 extra-curricular 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, informally and by making presentations in classes and to community groups and talking to media when asked.

Point #1:Current international branding and international student

recruitment practices

• How to develop international branding and recruitment as NYSAIS schools work to expand their international student enrollment

Promoting Your School Abroad: 5 Ways to Get Your School Noticed

• American private schools are NOT like Hogworts in the Harry Potter series with masters floating around ancient buildings in academic gowns. While many British private schools cling to the old ways - think Eton or Harrow – US independent schools are very different, excellent – and marketable abroad

• It used to be so simple, didn't it? You printed a gorgeous brochure, mailed it out to potential families and waited for the phone to ring and the admissions appointments to be made. Not any more.

• You may have the best school, the best faculty, brilliant students, etc., etc. But if you aren't exposing it to as many people as possible, your market will be significantly reduced. Here are some 21st century ways of promoting your school.

Twitter

• TwitterTwitter is part of something calledsocial media. Create a Twitter account just for your school. Don't restrict access to the account. All you are going to use this account for is promotional material and public announcements and the like. Confidential information for parents and faculty is best circulated in the usual manner, i.e., via email or printed documents as necessary.

• Twitter messages are limited to 140 characters just like a text message on your cellphone. But you can tweet photos and links to websites. What do you send out via Twitter? Anything you want the world outside your community to know. Stuff like sports scores and events announcements are the sort of thing schools using Twitter tweet on a regular basis. Who should manage your school's Twitter account? Your public relations staff and/or the admissions staff.

Facebook

• FacebookSchools are discovering that Facebook is a powerful tool for reaching alumni. Unlike Twitter it is easy to aggregate all your posts on your Facebook site. It's a great place to store photo galleries of alumni events, games and all the other exciting, wonderful happenings and news you want your community at home and abroad to be a part of.

Professional Website

• The home-grown websites many schools used to publish using Front Page are simply not up to the job in the 21st century. You need a professionally designed, secure website which allows your community and potential families to interact easily with the school and its staff. Online admissions materials and ways to give money to the school are all part of that professional package. If you don't spend the money to produce a great website, you are missing the boat, not to mention, hundreds of potential clients and donations.

Join Associations

• Most schools join their state or regional independent school association. It's also a good idea to join national associations such as NAIS, TABS, NAPSEC, AACS and others. Keep your contact information and website address current in those listings.

Directory Listings

• Listings on sites like this one are free and offer wide exposure to a world-wide audience. Paid listings in old line directories such as Petersons.com and The Bunting and Lyon Blue Book also get you lots of attention especially from education professionals and consultants.

• Listings on a website such as Boarding School Review and its sister site Private School Review are a must these days. Make sure your listing is complete and appealing. It is also worth spending money on their paid advertisements too.

Summary

• Marketing your school successfully in today's highly competitive environment requires presenting your message in many different ways. Think outside the box. Network like mad. Your school will get noticed.

• http://www.creosoteaffects.com/portfolio/independent

• http://www.ispginc.com/schoolconsultantsmarketing

• http://privateschool.about.com/od/admmissions/qt/seo.htm (including use of Twitter and Facebook, joining associations, place school name in directories)

Point #2:Effective Ways to Mentor Intl. Students in our School Communities

• https://www.exeter.edu/student_life/8471_8492.aspx• https://www.exeter.edu/student_life/8471_8491.aspx• https://www.exeter.edu/student_life/8471_8487.aspx• https://www.exeter.edu/student_life/8471_8488.aspx• https://www.exeter.edu/student_life/8471_8493.aspx• https://www.exeter.edu/student_life/8471_8490.aspx• https://www.exeter.edu/documents/Host_Family_Form.pdf

Point #3:4 Effective Ways to Mentor International

Students in our School Communities• "I think coming here early would have helped

for sure," says Huijia Phua, who came to the United States from Singapore to attend the Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. Now, she counsels other international students through her company, UNIcq.

• "I've had students who have come here for high school, and they pick up English much faster ... and are more used to the culture. The hope is that they would be able to assimilate better into the general society of America."

English Language Training• 1. English language training: Students around the world learn English in

classrooms, through study guides, and even by watching cartoons or listening to the radio. But the study methods fall short of full exposure, some say.

• [Get TOEFL test prep tips.] • "The fact is that real life immersion in the English language is going to get

them way farther than any classroom in their home country," says Krista Tacey, director of international student services at Texas A&M University.

• English training is one of the reasons Chinese student Judy Cao is in California for high school, she says. "I was worried with my English speaking and listening, because the English speaking and listening level that college courses require are much higher than the English we learned from textbook[s] in China," Cao wrote in an E-mail. "Even though we may get high score[s on the] SAT or TOEFL test, we will still have problems on class and work."

• Mastering English at the high school level may not be any easier than learning it in college, but what can start out as a tough experience improves with time, Cao notes.

Pre-College Navigation• Pre-college navigation:

Applying to college in the United States can be a long and complicated process—with tests to take, schools and majors to explore, and essays to write. And much of the process is riddled with lingo that is often unfamiliar to international students, Phua notes, but which may be clearer for students if they're already here.

• "In the U.S., you get to know the terms [colleges] are using, like FAFSA, for example," Phua says. "It's so much easier for them, compared to international students who are not in the U.S."

• [Get a guide to key higher education terms in the United States.] • It may also make the process simpler for some colleges—particularly public

institutions, Texas A&M's Tacey notes—if your student is applying with credentials from a U.S. high school.

• "It's much easier to compare apples to apples when you're looking at students coming from a U.S. institution, regardless of whether they're an international student," Tacey says. "The requirements for admission are much clearer when you're looking at a transcript from a high school in Dallas than a transcript from a high school in Beijing."

College Readiness• In addition to a better understanding of the English language,

international students studying at U.S. high schools are exposed to American-style teaching, which tends to be more participatory in nature, says Melissa Cassel, dean of students at the Walnut Hill School for the Arts, a private high school in Natick, Mass.

• That can be a big help once students are enrolled in college, Texas A&M's Tacey notes.

• "[Some] students do very well on placement tests, but then get here and absolutely struggle because the classroom pace is so fast, and the requirement in our universities that students interact often in class becomes a real challenge," she says.

• [Find out more about what has surprised some international students.]

Social AcculturationThe college experience in the United States doesn't end when class is dismissed, and coming to high school here can prepare students to succeed socially, too.• "[Parents] are probably giving their students a big leg up when it comes to being socially

integrated," says John Burdick, dean of admissions and financial aid at the University of Rochester.

• The transition to college can be tough for any student, but with a prior understanding of cultural norms, terms, and habits, your student may be better suited to fit into the fabric of a new school.

• Texas A&M's Tacey, who works with international students from around the world, says she saw a noticeable difference in the transition period for a female student who had already been in the United States for high school.

• "From day 1, she just seemed to have everything a whole lot easier because she already understood the culture and the openness and the way people were," Tacey says.

• But for all the benefits a U.S. high school education can provide, the transition might be too much for some students who come here on their own.

• "The extra distance and the time changes make it harder for us to communicate with parents; often the kids are dealing with things ... more on their own," says Cassel of Walnut Hill School for the Arts, where international students make up 30 percent of the student body.

• "[Parents] have to assess the maturity of their student[s] and their ability to be away from home and handle things on their own, in the moment."

Introduction

• Key: administering successful international student (exchange) programs

• international youth exchanges that enrich independent day and/or boarding middle and high school communities

• Communities with specific people: Head of School, Admin. Staff, Global Programs Director, Language Dept. Chair, Board, Parents, Students

Introduction• 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.

History• The 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

• A t the same time, schools have a right to expect that international exchange students and student exchange programs to adhere to 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.

Post-admission international student support offerings

• How to support international students after admission, including planning effective orientation sessions, creating a caring dormitory or host-family environment, providing strong ESL training, and establishing an international student support group network

• How to get US-born students and faculty to assist in welcoming and befriending international students, including offering US faculty and student “community involvement” tutoring/academic support and extracurricular activity involvement, college counseling, and planning trips to their international students’ home countries during school vacations – and how to recruit and support US host families, including helping them to plan academic vacations

• How to develop “global classrooms” with advanced distance learning techniques, achieving better pre-arrival connections with/for international students and their families, and better ‘buy-in’ from existing students, faculty, administrators and parents

Working lunch

• Discussion of “How China’s New Love Affair with US Private Schools is Changing them Both” (The Atlantic, March 28, 2012)

• Getting vital support from US-based faculty, students and families

• How to develop global classrooms – and Raise Global IQ in our NYSAIS communities

• Groups report on final implementation plans

• 1. CSIET: 212 S. Henry Street; Alexandria, �VA 22314 Phone: 703/739-9050; Fax: 703/739-9035; Email: mailbox@csiet.org

• Wally Swanson• Arne Duncan

• Workshop de-briefing and evaluation

A New Prize……..for US High School Students

Please, think big, right now……..1. Harvard, Yale, Brown, Williams Book Prizes2. Math Awards3. Science Awards4. Public Speaking5. Drama6. Athletics7. A new prize………

Personal Quote

Please write down the THREE most important things that we can do NOW to help prepare our students/ our children for their futures in our shrinking planet.  

- You

Quote

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

   

- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Lost Generation• http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=MWSYPDh7O5Q

Albert Einstein(1879-1955)

A quote from?

From: ___________________Salzburg, AustriaTo: Friendship Among Children and Youth (Founded Under UNESCO), New YorkDate: November 22, 1952•  "You young people should consider yourselves fortunate that you, in your impressionable years, have the opportunity to exchange viewpoints and ideas with those of a variety of cultural backgrounds. There is no better opportunity to acquire the life-long insights that are necessary for the resolution of international problems and conflicts. In the hope that your endeavors have a lasting impact, I send you my warmest greetings and wishes."

Alfred Nobel (1833-1896)

Françoise Barré-Sinoussi(b. 1947)

Mother Teresa(1910-1997)

Famous Quotes

“Our lives come to an end when we become silent about things that matter.”  

 

- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Lost Generation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWSYPDh7O5Q

International Students: Effective Ways to Find, Welcome, and

Mentor Them in our School Communities

Carl HobertBoston University