Program areas at American Councils for International Education Actr Accels
Student exchange: American Councils administers educational exchange opportunities. In coordination with the u.s. and foreign governments, foundations and private sector sources for over 5,000 secondary school, undergraduate, and graduate students each year from approximately 85 countries across africa, south and east asia, europe, eurasia, the middle east, and north and south america. American Councils also manages language and cultural immersion programs for americans to africa, asia, europe, eurasia, and the middle east for secondary school, undergraduate, graduate students, and scholars. These programs promote mutual understanding between americans and International students. Inbound students to the u.s. Learn firsthand about u.s. Values, volunteerism and leadership. In addition, students share their u.s. Experiences with friends, families and communities in their home countries. Similarly, u.s. outbound students are afforded opportunities to share their culture and values with their International host families, host institutions, and friends during their overseas programs.
Research scholars: American Councils offers numerous programs that provide support for scholars from the u.s., eurasia, and southeast europe. The organization also publishes dozens of major textbooks and teaching tools, and offers online language learning programs, including a vast online language learning and teaching network for teachers, students, and others interested in critical language acquisition. American Councils also administers the overseas national flagship language programs for african languages, russian, thai, and vietnamese. The programs are designed to address the critical need for greater numbers of u.s. Professionals in business, government, academia, and the third sector who are able to speak, read, understand, and write these languages at the highest levels of functional proficiency.
Program development: American Councils offers short-term training opportunities for outstanding professionals from around the world. These robust programs provide for the sharing of field-specific information between participants and their u.s. Counterparts, and then, upon return to their home countries, program alumni share their experiences with their colleagues. American Councils administered professional development programs include professional and leadership fellowships, business leader fellowships, the International visitors leadership program, as well as the open world program, a program administered in collaboration with the congressional office for International leadership. Over 32,000 participants from a wide variety of professional fields have traveled to over 2,400 u.s. communities in all 50 states to meet and share knowledge with their professional colleagues to learn about life in america.
Teacher exchange: American Councils serves as a leader in the field of teacher exchange, administering innovative teacher training and faculty development programs that offer International educators the opportunity to travel to the u.s., teach their native language to American students, learn new teaching methodologies, and build strong professional relationships with American colleagues. American Councils also administers bilateral faculty programs that offer u.s. teachers the opportunity to travel abroad for professional development activities, contributing to the dissemination of vital expertise in foreign language teaching. Working with ministries, government agencies, and academic institutions, American Councils has developed national standardized assessments and large-scale teacher and faculty trainings, and implemented country-wide academic integrity systems and policies.