HONOLULU (September 12) – The East-West Center was awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of State for $300,000, to conduct a new exchange program titled, “Partnership for Schools Leading Change,” which brings 45 teachers from Indonesian pesantren (Islamic boarding schools) together with teacher-representatives from the hosting 15 U.S. secondary schools.  Both groups will spend a week together at the East-West Center (EWC) in Honolulu, Hawaii, examining “best practice” teaching methods, including the development of critical thinking skills, the adaptation of instruction to address different student needs, and the effective use of educational technology. The Indonesian teachers will travel in small groups, spending 10 days with their U.S. host schools supplemented by homestays to gain cultural understanding of U.S. lifestyles and community life. The school visits will enable Indonesian teachers to observe “best practices” being implemented in real classrooms while also fostering exchange of ideas and cultures.

Namji Steinemann , the EWC’s Director of the AsiaPacificEd Program for Schools, which developed this new exchange program, explained, "U.S.-Indonesian Muslim ties will be strengthened through the building of professional, institutional, and personal relationships as the educators work together and share their expertise.  The relationships formed will help dispel negative stereotypes and will have a direct impact on their schools and communities.”

This teacher exchange program builds on the success of the EWC’s AsiaPacificEd "Best Practices" Teaching Program. Over the past five years the AsiaPacificEd Program has worked with more than 400 schools in the United States, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Japan, China, and Korea and supported thousands of teachers in developing their ability to prepare their students for life in the ever-changing and increasingly interconnected Asia-Pacific region.

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For more information, please contact Karen Knudsen, Director of External Affairs, East-West Center
(808) 944-7195 or [email protected]

SOURCE CONTACT:  Namji Steinemann, Director of the AsiaPacificEd Program for Schools, East-West Center
(808) 944-7596 or [email protected]

The EAST-WEST CENTER is an education and research organization established by the U.S. Congress in 1960 to strengthen relations and understanding among the peoples and nations of Asia, the Pacific, and the United States. The Center contributes to a peaceful, prosperous and just Asia Pacific community by serving as a vigorous hub for cooperative research, education and dialogue on critical issues of common concern to the Asia Pacific region and the United States.  Funding for the Center comes from the U.S. government, with additional support provided by private agencies, individuals, foundations, corporations, and the governments of the region.