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J-1 EXCHANGE VISITOR PROGRAM WITH SPAIN - … EXCHANGE VISITOR PROGRAM WITH SPAIN VISITING TEACHERS...
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J-1 EXCHANGE VISITOR PROGRAM WITH SPAIN VISITING TEACHERS FROM SPAIN 2015-16 RECRUITMENT INFORMATION FOR ILLINOIS SCHOOL DISTRICTS Sponsored by The Illinois State Board of Education, State of Illinois and the Education Office - Embassy of Spain, Spanish Ministry of Education
Transcript of J-1 EXCHANGE VISITOR PROGRAM WITH SPAIN - … EXCHANGE VISITOR PROGRAM WITH SPAIN VISITING TEACHERS...
J-1 EXCHANGE VISITOR PROGRAM WITH SPAIN
VISITING TEACHERS FROM SPAIN 2015-16 RECRUITMENT
INFORMATION FOR ILLINOIS SCHOOL DISTRICTS
Sponsored by The Illinois State Board of Education,
State of Illinois and the
Education Office - Embassy of Spain, Spanish Ministry of Education
• Exchange Visitor Program: US Department of State
• State of Illinois – Government of Spain: Visiting Teachers from Spain
• Teachers from Spain apply for the program in their State of interest
• Applicants are screened: a pool of suitable candidates is created, they
are tested for English Language Proficiency
• Selected teachers teach in Illinois for three years on a J-1 visa sponsored
by ISBE
• All teachers meet the licensure and language proficiency requirements
established by ISBE
• All teachers receive an International Visiting Teacher License valid for the
three years of the duration of the program
Program
Participating School Districts in recent editions
Arcola 306 Aurora East 131 Carbondale 95 Chicago 299
Carpentersville 300 DeKalb 428 East Maine 63 Elgin U-46
Evanston-Skokie 65 Harvard 50 J.S. Morton 201 Mendota 289
Naperville 203 Oswego 308 Posen-Robbins 143.5 Rockford 205
Schaumburg 54 Urbana 116 Woodstock 200
Program - Districts (cont.)
• 33 States and 1 Province in Canada
• Total number recruits: 570
• 11 School Districts in Illinois
• 54 Visiting Teachers
• WI: 2 School Districts, 15 teachers
• MN: 7 School Districts, 15 teachers
School Year 2014-15
Program (cont.)
School Year
2010/11 2011/12 2012/13
2013/14
2014/15
#VT 23 34 33 45 54
Program - # Teachers (cont.)
School Year Bilingual
Early Childhood
Bilingual Elementary
Bilingual Middle
Bilingual High School
Special Ed/ Speech and Language/
Spanish
2014-15 8 22 7 10 7
Program - Visiting Teachers per Grades (cont.)
• US Department of State: Exchange Visitor Program (J-1: nonimmigrant visa)
• ISBE
i. Program Sponsor for Illinois
ii. Screening of candidates
iii. Licensure
iv. Teachers’ orientation and support
v. Program monitoring
• Spanish Ministry of Education
i. Program coordination
ii. Application and candidate screening
iii. Recruitment process management: Madrid, Skype and the wait-list
iv. Support during the three years of the program
Who is who?
• School District
i. Employer
ii. New community to the teachers
iii. Teachers’ orientations and support
iv. Collaboration between HR, Bilingual Directors and schools
• Teachers
i. Certified Teachers in Spain (preK-12; Middle and High: content areas; Special Education; Speech Language; World Language)
ii. 831 applicants have applied for Illinois in November (Total pool: 5000+ candidates for 26 States)
iii. Proficient in English; a lot of them have a background in bilingual education in Spain
iv. A minimum of three years of experience
v. Motivated and committed
Who is who? (cont.)
• Does the district have to keep the teachers three years?
• Can the teacher leave before the three years?
• Do we treat these teachers any different than the rest of our teachers?
• Can these teachers be General Education teachers?
• Is there a cost to participating in the program?
• Who pays the teachers’ salary?
• Can we keep the teachers after the three years?
• What is the success rate?
• What kind of support do teachers receive from the Ministry of Education of Spain and ISBE?
Some common questions
The Ministry of Education screens the teachers’ applications submitted by the teachers narrows the list of candidates according to the districts’ needs ensures that teachers have at least three years of experience Verifies that candidates qualify for a Visiting International Teacher
License organizes April’s recruitment fair provides assistance and works with teachers, School Districts and
Sponsors over the three years
April 2015 English proficiency tests, conducted by ISBE: Nelson Denny, writing and
OPI Testing and interviews will take place the same week, April 27- May 1,
tentatively Collaboration between ISBE and districts
Overview
For more information on licensure, please see:
http://www.isbe.net/licensure/pdf/73-03F_international_certificate.pdf
http://www.isbe.net/rules/archive/pdfs/25ark.pdf
Overview (cont.)
Teachers are Highly Qualified and they receive a three-year teaching license with stipulations:
–Special Areas –Elementary –Early Childhood –High School
They all receive a Bilingual Endorsement in Spanish
Programs
• Dual Language Programs
• Bilingual Education Programs
• World Language Programs
A variety of teaching assignments
• Early Childhood,
• Elementary Education
• Middle and High school (math, science, social studies, ESL, etc.)
• Special areas
Overview (cont.)
i. Advertising
ii. Management and screening of applications
iii. List of preselected candidates
iv. Recruitment fair and Skype process
v. Ongoing assistance to the teachers
vi. Orientations
vii. Support
Responsibilities: The Ministry
i. Program Coordination
ii. Intergovernmental Agreement with School Districts
iii. Generate Candidate List
iv. Teacher Certification Process
v. U.S. Department of State SEVIS Reporting
vi. Supervision and follow-up with School Districts
vii. Orientations
Responsibilities: ISBE
o Program models and bilingual education in Illinois
o American values and the adjustment to a the new culture
o Culture shock: how to manage and overcome it
o School life and organization
o The perspective of an administrator and the parents
o What makes a good teacher? » Planning and preparation
» The classroom environment
» Instruction
» Professional Responsibilities
In our orientations
o Discipline
o Grades
o Classroom observations and evaluation
o Paperwork
o Work ethic
o Maintain a professional relationship
o Teaching bilingual and Hispanic students
o Everyday tips
o The importance of the program and our job here
In our orientations (cont.)
o August: Adjustment to the living and teaching in Illinois
o October: National Museum of Mexican Arts
o November: Instituto Cervantes
o December: Chicago History Museum and Bilingual Statewide Conference
o January: DuSable Museum of African American History
o February: Illinois Holocaust Museum
o March: Polish American Museum and Oriental Institute
o May: TBD
PD and Cultural visits
i. Transcript Evaluations and J-1 visa process in Madrid
ii. Insurance
iii. Obtain Employment Contract/Benefit Package
iv. Housing
v. Transportation
vi. Reporting/Checking-in
vii. Meeting Program Requirements
Responsibilities: Teacher
i. ISBE Intergovernmental Agreement
ii. Identify the openings you will have: District Administrators, HR, Bilingual Directors and Schools’ Administrators
iii. Commitment: Madrid and Skype
iv. Internal Revenue Service, FICA, TRS
v. ISBE J-1 EVP Annual School District Report
vi. Communication with ISBE and Spanish Education Advisor
vii. Mentor/Teacher Partner Program
viii. Support to the Teachers
Responsibilities: School District
• Some considerations for selecting Visiting Teachers:
You are not just hiring a teacher, you are recruiting a cultural exchange visitor
A strong teacher with the right personality for this adventure
Their knowledge and approach to instruction and pedagogy
Situations: what would you do if…?
International experiences and type of environments
Disposition for working in the US and your community
Their professional and personal expectations
Your communityt, district, program, students and your expectations on the teachers and the program
The challenges they will face
The interview
• Inform them about:
Hiring range once an offer is made
Walkability, access to Chicago
Your logistic plan upon the teachers’ arrival
The interview (cont.)
• From hire date to 1st day of school Transition
Stage
• 1st day of school-December Settling Down
Stage
• Giving Back Development
Stage
Supporting the teachers
Three stages to the adjustment process:
o Multiple agents
i. Education Advisor
ii. Responsible Officer
iii. District Liason
iv. School Administration
v. Instructional Coaches
vi. Mentor
vii. Grade/Department Partner Teacher
viii. IT Specialist
ix. Discipline specialist: Middle and High
Supporting the teachers (cont.)
o From hire in April to 1st day of school
– Initial communications and E-introductions
– Web pages, policy manuals, school year calendar
– Orientation in Madrid in July
– Information on the logistics upon arrival
– SSN, cell phone, apartment search, car dealers
Transition Stage
o Before the 1st day of school
– District paperwork/benefit package
– District orientations and expectations
– Building tour
– Mentor/partner teacher/IT coordinator
– State certification, paperwork, and orientations
– Welcome picnics/community introductions
– Consulate registration
Transition Stage (cont.)
o 1st day of school to December o District mentoring and collaboration with
mentor/partner
o Revisit your program, curriculum, expectations on them
o Establish collaboration routines
o Opportunities to observe other teachers
o Instructional coaching
o Provide positive feedback and some areas of improvement with strategies
o Encourage their participation in extracurricular activities
o Prepare for Parent-Teacher Conferences
o Towards November, have a conference with them
Settling Down Stage
o Orientations and sessions
o Professional Development
o School and Community Integration:
– Committees
– Teams
– District Plans
– Professional Learning Communities
– Grade-Level Teams
– Athletic Teams
Development – Giving Back
o Teachers need multiple levels of support in each stage: Spend time going through routines, expectations and resources available to them
o It is not a one-person job, a collaboration of district departments, administrators and community members
o A number of one-on-one sessions to communicate and debrief during the year
o Prepare the community for them, they are going to need some advocates, informal mentors and new friends
o How is your district going to make the most out of these teachers?
Some additional thoughts
o The program:
i. may address a need in your district
ii. requires an adjustment process in new communities
iii. enhances bilingual education and dual language programs
iv. has a huge impact on the students, the schools and the community at large
v. adds another level to the multicultural and Hispanic dimension of your district
vi. fosters knowledge and appreciation of cultural differences… and similiarities
Some additional thoughts (cont.)
o By January 20, electronic version of District Teacher Assignment Request Form, Contact Information Form and Information Candidates. If there are new needs, please let us know by March
o By February 12, US mail two copies of Intergovernmental Agreement to my attention, one will be returned to district with State Superintendent’s signature
o By March 5, send electronic version of your Annual Report
o Inform me ASAP of changes to your Request Form
o April, webinar/conference call with participating districts in preparation for interviews
IMPORTANT DEADLINES AND DATES
¡Muchas gracias por su tiempo!
Any questions?
Jorge Berné Education Advisor
Spanish Ministry of Education
ISBE, Suite 14-300
100 West Randolph
Chicago, IL 60601
jorge.berne_educacion
Direct line: 312 814 5696
Contact information
