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Fulbright scholars to teach in Rochester-area classrooms

The University of Rochester's Warner School of Education will host 17 Fulbright scholars this fall.
Andy Olenick
The University of Rochester's Warner School of Education will host 17 Fulbright scholars this fall.

The University of Rochester will host international scholars who will educate students in local schools this fall.

Nearly 20 Fulbright scholars from more than 10 countries will be pairing up with local classrooms in Rush-Henrietta, Brighton, and the Rochester City School District starting in August.

The scholars will assist local teachers, but while they’re sharing their knowledge, they’ll also learn from the teachers.

“This is just a really positive experience, I think, for all of us to build up our awareness of kind of global perspectives and more broadly, equity in education,” said Nicole King, director of multilingual education at the University of Rochester’s Warner School of Education.

The program will last from August through December, but King said the hope is that the cultural exchange will continue even after scholars return to their home countries.

“That way we can continue working with all of the students in the Rochester area to kind of build a more kind of global awareness of what culture and language and education looks like in different places.”

The University of Rochester is one of three colleges in the country that will receive international teachers through the Fulbright program. It will receive a $230,000 federal grant to do so.

The Warner School is currently looking for volunteers to serve as “friendship families” for scholars to help them acclimate to the area.

“Think about the possibility of that kind of cultural exchange that can happen at home over a meal that maybe isn't possible to happen in a classroom,” King said.

Fulbright is an academic cultural exchange program between the U.S. and other countries dating back to 1946. The residency in Rochester will run through December.

Noelle E. C. Evans is WXXI's Murrow Award-winning Education reporter/producer.