The Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms (Fulbright TGC) Program is a yearlong professional learning opportunity and short-term exchange for elementary, middle, and high school educators from the United States to develop skills to prepare students for a competitive global economy.

Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms (Fulbright TGC) equips educators from the United States to bring an international perspective to their schools through targeted training, experience abroad, and global collaboration. This yearlong professional learning opportunity for K–12 educators features an intensive online course and a short international exchange.

This program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and administered by IREX.

• Since 2011, over 450 U.S. teachers from 49 states and the District of Columbia have participated in the Teachers for Global Classrooms Program. 
• Each cohort of TGC participants reach more than 10,000 students in their home communities.
• Nearly 90% of alumni report that their classroom has more opportunities for global learning as a result of the program.

• Enhance teachers’ expertise in adapting teaching methods, lesson planning, and instructional technology to internationalize the U.S. classroom.
• Support U.S. teachers to develop the leadership and professional skills to ensure that their students are knowledgeable about the world and prepared for careers in an increasingly competitive global economy.
• Prepare U.S. students to work and collaborate in multiple cultural contexts and to be more aware of other countries around the world through interaction with teachers and students globally.
• Develop mutual understanding and lasting relationships by sharing best educational practices between teachers and students in the U.S. and abroad.

• Global education online course: The online global education course combines simultaneous and self-paced coursework during the fall semester. The graduate-level course runs for 10 weeks, with multiple assignments due each week. Participants have the opportunity to earn continuing education units or graduate credits for the course. Participants can anticipate spending up to 10 hours per week on the online course.
• Symposium in Washington, DC: Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms participants gather in Washington, DC, for an in-person professional learning workshop to build networks, collaborate, and develop strategies to enhance global learning. The Global Education Symposium typically requires participants to take one to two days during the school week to travel to Washington, DC, in January. Participants are encouraged to invite an administrator to this event.
• International field experience: In the spring or summer, Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms participants travel for two to three weeks. This international field experience provides participants with an opportunity to experience another country’s history, education system, and culture. Participants travel in pairs or trios to communities around the country, where they have the opportunity to observe classrooms, interact with administrators, and teach or co-teach their own lessons with international educators who are familiar with the U.S. education system. 
• Global education guide: During the program, Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms create a global education guide that serves as a resource for their local community to build global awareness and mutual understanding. Submitted as a final capstone project, this guide serves as a tool for sharing the participants’ experiences with communities of educators, facilitating professional learning workshops, and engaging students and members of the community with the Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms experience.

Program timeline

E-mail: fulbrighttgc@irex.org

The Fulbright Teacher Exchanges are sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and administered by IREX.