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III. Operational Activities

The Regular Six-Month Program

Shortly after March 1, candidates' applications began to arrive for the 6-month program to begin in early September. From March on, for several months, applications were reviewed and preliminary programs were outlined. Our own staff and no fewer than 49 educational specialists throughout the rest of the Office of Education studied the applications and made suggestions that were incorporated into the program outlines. During early summer negotiations were completed with 11 institutions of higher education to receive the visiting teachers in September. Table 4 (p. 60) lists these institutions and gives selected facts concerning the college and university phase of the 6-month program. Table 5 (p. 61 ) identifies the State Departments of Education directing the programs of the educators under this program and presents other details concerning it.

On July 14 and 15 a program-planning conference was held in Washington. It was attended by representatives of the Office of Education and the Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the program coordinators from the colleges and universities that would be participating.

Near the end of August, almost three hundred teachers and administrators from 67 countries began arriving in Washington. From August 26 to September 16 the Office carried out orientation and program-planning activities. On September 6 the visiting educators were welcomed by officers of the Office of Education; the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Department of State; and Office of Educational Services, International Cooperation Administration. That afternoon, an international reception was held for the teachers, participants in the ICA programs, and representatives from Embassies, the Department of State, and the Office of Education. General sessions were held on September 7 with Office of Education specialists who presented an introduction to education in the United States. That aftemoon, small group discussions began with specialists in elementary, secondary, and vocational education and continued through the following day. Some groups also visited schools

in Prince Georges County (Maryland). Additional meetings were arranged for the teachers to discuss American studies, music, art, adult education, library science, social studies, language arts, physical education, guidance, mathematics, teacher education, school administration, science education, vocational agriculture, home economics, distributive education, industrial arts, trade and industrial education, and business education.

During the large and small group meetings, specialists from the Office of Education, the Department of State, the International Cooperation Administration, the United States Information Agency, the Library of Congress, and several universities in the area gave talks to orient the teachers to American education. Also at these meetings the plans previously drawn up for the teachers' programs were confirmed.

On September 9 an International Exhibit was put on in the auditorium of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Several thousand persons, including teachers and children from schools in the Washington area, streamed through the auditorium.

The teachers thoroughly enjoyed not only showing examples of educational materials and handicrafts from their own countries (in many cases these items included native costumes, which the teachers themselves wore) but also viewing similar items shown by teachers from other countries. Typical of their comments are the following:

A teacher from Finland. -The real climaxes of the program were the International Exhibition and the Talent Show, both of them occasions when the foreign teachers and the natives had a very good opportunity to see the cultural attainments in various countries. International Exhibition showed us what American people were most interested in; it further showed that they appreciate the attainments of other nations, that the culture of different countries is the way leading to international mutual understanding. It was also found that our world has grown smaller. Many person to person contacts were made...

One from Iran. I learned more in a short time. The world was there. I made a very quick trip round the

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