Menu 

Special Exchange Project

The Japan-U.S. Educational Commission has a long history of implementing programs for primary and secondary school educators to deepen mutual understanding.

Since 2009, the Japan-U.S. Teacher Exchange for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), funded by the governments of Japan and the United States, administered by the Japan-U.S. Educational Commission (Fulbright Japan), will conclude effective at the end of calendar year 2018. A new program for teachers will be implemented in summer 2019 and the program announcement will be released in spring 2019.

Japan-U.S. Teacher Exchange Program for ESD (2009-2018)

The bi-nationally funded program aims to raise awareness of ESD-oriented school programs, enhance ESD-related curricula in both countries, and deepen a sense of global interconnectedness between teachers in Japan and the United States. Through reciprocal two-week study visits of the U.S. and Japan and the two joint conferences, the participants will have the opportunity to build partnerships and they are expected to develop curriculum on the theme of Education for Sustainable Development.

The main theme of the program is Environmental Education, incorporating as appropriate Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/development-agenda/) such as sustainable cities and communities, as well as leveraging Japan’s increased focus on international education and exchange in advance of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games.