Exchange Guidelines

The Program has been designed to achieve the following goals:

• Promotion of the German language and improvement of existing German language skills
• Broadening of knowledge of the partner country for students and teachers
• Intercultural meetings between students and teachers
• Promotion of German language studies at high schools in the US
• Improvement of the competency of German students in the English language
• Further training for teachers of the partner language
• Establishment of long-lasting interests in the partner countries
• Intensification and sustainability of the relationship between Germany and the US

The administering institutions will indicate the Program in their publications.

The schools taking part in the Program are asked to point out the support of the German Foreign Ministry, the American Government and the administering institutions.

• German and American secondary schools which provide general and vocational education and seek a mutual and enduring partnership may become participants in the Program.
• Participating American high schools and German secondary schools will be supported if they meet one of the following conditions:
  • The American school offers German language classes
  • The American school is interested to introduce German as a foreign language
  • The German and the American school participate in a particular teaching project, which is implemented jointly and is intended to establish a partnership.
• The group size should be in the range of 10 to 20 students and should be agreed upon with the partner school. Visiting students and host students should be around the same age.

• As a rule, a reciprocal exchange takes place annually or every other year.

• As a rule, exchange visits last at least three weeks, of which at least two weeks need to be spent with the host family in the city or township of the partner school. During this time, American and German students should attend classes together or should work together on topics and/or projects of relevance to the curriculum.
• Touring the host country as well as neighboring countries, cannot be part of the GAPP exchange visit. Therefore, such travel is the sole responsibility of and subject to agreements between coordinators, escorting teachers and the parents of the students.

• Participating schools nominate a Program coordinator who is responsible for the Program and its implementation at the school, as well as for the planning and evaluation of the exchange. The coordinator must be named to the Educational Exchange Service (PAD) and to GAPP, Inc. The duties of the coordinator include announcing the Program at the school, making available the necessary information to interested parties and to participants, establishing a documentation about the Program and its implementation, cooperating with parents and out-of-school entities interested in the Program and willing to make a contribution, and overall ensuring the continuity and visibility of the Program in the scholastic public.
• One or two teachers, depending on the group size and the regulations in force at the time, will escort the student group. The person responsible for the coordination does not have to be an escorting teacher. In addition to German and English teachers, it is recommended to also include teachers of other fields and members of the school administration in the exchange. As far as possible, escorting teachers should have a good knowledge of the partner language.
• After completion of the exchange, the school will prepare a report about the exchange. The reports will be used for the further development of the Program, and possibly also for publications by the PAD and GAPP, Inc.

The escorting teachers contribute immensly to the long-term success of the Program and to the effective implementation of the exchange. Their most important duties are as follows:

• They must make sure that they are accessible at all times to the students during the stay at the partner school and in the host families. They should be actively involved in the life of the partner school and should be available in the capacity of counselor, advisor or consultant to their own group, as well as to students, teachers and parents of the partner school.
• The planning, implementation, and evaluation of the exchange are the responsibility of the coordinators and escorting teachers.
• Participating students are to be carefully prepared for the exchange and for their role as representatives of their country. It is particularly important to point out the peculiarities and customs of life in a host family.
• It must be made clear to the students, how important the Program is for the profile of their own school, as well as for the host school.
• The host families should be involved in the organization of the exchange at an early stage, in order to prepare them for their role as hosts and to encourage them to participate in the Program and its shaping.

The host school should play an active role in the reception and hosting of the guests:

• Reception and farewell of the guests should be a special event at the school, including a report in the student newspaper or in the school-intern news-bulletin.
• Active participation of the guest students during classes and in extracurricular activities.
• Integration of the foreign guests as resource persons, e.g., in other German or English classes, and in geography, history, and social studies classes.
• Offering of a German course for American students with little knowledge of the German language.
• Information and engagement of out-of-school entities which cooperate with the school, including the local media.

During their time at the partner school, students should:

• Participate actively in classes and in school life as a whole.
• Participate in family life and, if possible, converse in the language of the host country.
• Follow the rules and regulations established by the families and the school.

During the return visit they should:

• Take in the students of the partner school as guests and include them in curricular and extracurricular activities.

Host families are of particular importance to ensure the success of the school exchange. For the duration of the guest student's stay they assume the parental role and guarantee proper supervision. Therefore they should:

• Be involved in the school's preparations for the exchange as early as possible.
• Include the guest students in their family life and spend spare time together.
• Communicate whenever possible only in the language of the host country.

• If the above-mentioned program criteria are met, both American and German escorting teachers, as well as American students qualify for airfare subsidies. German students may receive a subsidy from the American Government under certain circumstances.
• One escorting teacher per group will receive an airfare subsidy in the amount of 75% of the most favorable airfare available.