Apply Now: Study of the U.S. Institutes Program For Secondary Educators
Study of the U.S. Institutes for Secondary Educators (SUSIs) are intensive post-graduate level academic programs that provide foreign secondary school educators and administrators the opportunity to deepen their understanding of U.S. society, culture, values, and institutions. The program goal is to strengthen curricula and to enhance the quality of teaching about the United States in secondary schools and other academic institutions abroad.
Through a combination of traditional, multi-disciplinary, and interdisciplinary approaches, program content will examine the history and evolution of U.S. institutions and values, broadly defined. The programs will also serve to illuminate contemporary political, social, and economic debates in American society. The program features curriculum based on the study of how America’s foundations and historical development have shaped and continue to inform U.S. politics, economics, and society.
Program Format
Study of the U.S. Institutes for Secondary Educators will take place at various academic institutions throughout the United States over the course of five weeks beginning in June 2023. Each Institute includes a four-week academic residency component and, if possible, a one-week integrated study tour to another region of the United States. Posts and prospective applicants may visit exchanges.state.gov/susi to obtain general information about the Institutes.
The four-week academic residencies will take place at U.S. university and college campuses and will consist of a balanced series of lectures, panels, seminar discussions, readings, workshops, site visits, meetings with practitioners in the field, and cultural activities. One-week study tours to a different region will complement the academic residencies and showcase the cultural, geographic, and ethnic diversity of the United States. A key cultural
component of the program involves community service activities, which provides participants with first-hand experience of the vital role of volunteerism in U.S. civil society. The program will offer multiple opportunities for follow-on engagement through alumni webinars, grant-funded follow-on projects, social media, and an alumni workshop.
Participants are expected to fully engage in all aspects of the program; they must attend all lectures and organized activities and complete assigned readings. Family members and/or friends may not accompany participants on any part of the U.S. component of the program.
Please note that should health, safety, and travel conditions pose significant challenges, SUSI will pivot to a virtual format.
Program Tracks
There are two different program tracks to cater to different groups of educators:
Secondary Educators (Teachers)—This track is tailored specifically for classroom teachers. Please note that the program will focus on providing content and materials to develop high school level curricula about the United States, rather than on teaching methods and pedagogy. This track will allow teachers to delve into either of the following themes:
- Democracy and citizenship; or
- The evolution of individual rights and social obligations through American history.
Secondary Educators (Administrators)—This track is tailored for experienced administrators, including teacher trainers, curriculum developers, textbook writers, Ministry of Education officials, and others. This track will allow administrators to focus on sociocultural understanding, equitable learning communities, and diversity and inclusion in U.S. education and society.
Award Information
Selected participants will be awarded the following:
International airfare
Housing (private room with shared bathroom or shared hotel room) and subsistence while in the U.S.
Book, cultural, mailing, and incidental allowances
Health insurance while in the U.S.
U.S. visa support
Eligibility and Preferred Qualities:
Croatian citizen
Candidates should be mid-career, typically between the ages of 30-50, highly motivated, experienced secondary school teachers and administrators
Ideal candidates are individuals whose home institution is seeking to introduce aspects of U.S. studies into its curricula, develop new courses in the subject of the Institute, enhance and update existing courses on the United States, or offer specialised seminars/workshops for professionals in U.S. studies areas related to the program theme
Dedicated to the field of secondary education as demonstrated through past scholarship, accomplishments, and professional duties
Little to no experience in the U.S. is preferred
Application Details
To apply please fill in the SUSI Application form and send complete documentation to zagrebEV@state.gov
Application deadline: 12:00 pm (noon) on November 22, 2022.
You will be notified of the results before January 2023. For all questions, please contact us by email at zagrebEV@state.gov. No phone inquiries. Emails will be responded to in the order they are received during regular business hours.