Deadline: 17 February 2025
The Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Research Program provides an opportunity for curious, flexible, and independent K–12 educators from the United States to conduct research and engage in other professional learning experiences abroad for three to six months.
The Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Research Program is open to full-time elementary, middle, and high school educators who are employed at a public, private (secular or faith-based), or charter school in the United States, or within the Department of Defense Education Activity at the elementary, middle, or high school level (K–12).
Program Specifications
- Educators who are selected to participate in the program will:
- Design and implement a research project related to education in the United States and their host country.
- Take courses at a host university.
- Build global networks of and exchange best educational practices with researchers, practitioners, and policy makers.
- Develop resources and tools that can be used long after the project ends.
- Participants in the Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Research Program may bring dependents with them to their host country.
- Upon returning home, educators will be expected to share the knowledge and experience gained during the program with educators and students in their home schools and communities.
Program Activities
- Research Project: As part of the application process, educators identify a topic relevant to their own educational practice that can be enhanced by collaboration with colleagues in another country. Explore examples of past Fulbright Teachers’ research projects.
- Orientation Workshop: Once selected, participants gather in Washington, DC, for a professional learning orientation workshop to work with other participants and further develop strategies for the inquiry design and implementation process.
- Host Country Experience: During the spring semester or summer, participants travel to their host location for three to six months, where they pursue their research projects with guidance from an advisor at their host institution. Participants also take courses pertaining to their professional goals. A U.S.-based educational consultant supports participants virtually throughout the program.
- Online Professional Learning Community: Each participant will participate in a virtual global community with other participants to collaborate and share educational practices.
Benefits
- Fulbright Teacher Exchanges include roundtrip airfare, visa support, accident and sickness medical coverage, accommodations, and meals related to the travel portions of each program. Participants receive a stipend to offset costs related to their travel. The stipend is not intended to replace a participant’s salary and will vary depending on the host country, duration of program, and other factors.
Eligible Countries
- Brazil, Colombia, Finland, Greece, Iceland, India, Mexico, Morocco, Singapore, Taiwan, United Kingdom, Vietnam.
Eligibility Criteria
- To be eligible for the Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Research Program, the applicant must:
- be a U.S. citizen who resides in the United States, a U.S. territory, or who works on a campus within the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA).
- hold at least a bachelor’s degree.
- have a minimum of three years of full-time instructional experience in a U.S. K-12 educational institution.
- be currently employed full-time in a U.S. K-12 educational institution with a minimum of 50% of contracted hours in a student-facing role.
- Not have resided abroad for five or more consecutive years in the six-year period preceding the date of application (a candidate who has lived outside the United States, a U.S. territory, or a school associated with the Department of Defense Education Activity for nine months or more during a calendar year is deemed to have resided abroad for that year).
- Not be enrolled in a PhD program during the time frame they are proposing to take part in the Fulbright Program.
Selection Criteria
- Applications are encouraged from individuals who:
- work in high-need schools or districts, defined as having a student population that is of high socioeconomic need, especially where 40% or more qualifies for Free and Reduced-Price Meals (FARMS).
- have had at least five years of full-time K-12 teaching experience in the United States, a U.S. territory, or a school associated with the Department of Defense Education Activity.
- hold a master’s degree from a U.S. university and/or a National Board Certification.
- demonstrate commitment to remaining in U.S. K-12 education following their participation in the program.
- have served in the U.S. Armed Forces.
- have not participated in another Fulbright Program and/or had recent significant professional experience abroad. Professional experience abroad includes study, teaching, research, or professional development. It does not include personal travel, undergraduate study abroad, leading student trips, religious or volunteer trips, service in the U.S. Armed Forces, or serving in the Peace Corps.
For more information, visit Fulbright Teacher Exchanges.