Helping Students and Educators Collaborate with Peers Across the Globe
iEARN-USA is a leader in global collaborative education for K-12 students, facilitating both virtual exchange and study-abroad programs. For more than 30 years, we have supported an international community of K-12 educators and youth to collaborate and learn together on projects and programs designed to make a difference in the world.Â
In addition to providing our virtual student exchanges through iEARN International, we also offer study abroad programs for high schoolers, through the NSLI-Y (National Security Language Initiative for Youth) and Kennedy-Lugar YES (Youth Exchange Study) programs.Â
Virtual Student Exchange & Study Abroad Programs
More Than 30 Languages & 140 Countries Represented
Our Programs
iEARN-USA connects students and educators living in the United States with their peers across the world in two ways:
- Through live, online collaboration (virtual exchange) on projects whose topics range from STEM to language and creative arts.
- Through study abroad programs that allow U.S. students to learn critical world languages and experience other cultures, and students from other countries to experience our culture and study here in the U.S.
Virtual Student Exchange
The Collaboration Centre & Project Book
iEARN-USA enables students and teachers to design and participate in global projects as part of their regular classroom curriculum or after-school program. Our projects align to education standards (including Common Core State Standards) and use a safe and structured online Collaboration Centre.
Storytelling for Social Change
Drawing on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to explore the transformative power of storytelling, high school-aged youth from Algeria, Tunisia, and the United States collaborate with international partners through virtual exchange. As they choose a local or global issue inspired by the SDGs and examine their personal connections to it, participants learn a range of storytelling, communication, and technical skills through media analysis and hands-on audiovisual assignments.
Compañeros de Clase Globales
Through this International Virtual Exchange program, iEARN-USA will pair elementary and high school classrooms in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico) with peer classrooms in Guatemala, challenging students to explore real world issues and think about what it means to make a positive difference in the world.
Study Abroad
NSLI-Y
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, NSLI-Y provides merit-based scholarships for eligible high school students and recent high school graduates to learn less commonly taught languages in summer and academic-year overseas immersion programs. The languages offered are Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Hindi, Indonesian, Korean, Persian (Tajiki), Russian, and Turkish.
Kennedy-Lugar YES
iEARN is responsible for the recruitment of students from Arab-Israel, Bangladesh, Cameroon, Liberia, Mali, Pakistan Sierra Leone, and Suriname to live with host families, attend high school, engage in activities to learn about American society and values, acquire leadership skills, and help educate Americans about their countries and cultures.
Our Impact
Find out what’s happening in our Virtual Exchange and Study Abroad programs through news updates, newsletters and student impact stories. We feature our most recent posts here and past articles can be found on our News, Newsletters, and Student Stories pages.
Global Educational Synergies: Moldova’s iEARN Conference Connects 250 Educators for Transformative Learning
On September 28, Moldova saw an unprecedented convergence of 250 educators at the Ion Creangă State University in Chișinău for the iEARN-Moldova Global Education Conference. Organized by the iEARN-Moldova network in collaboration with the General Directorate for...
An Uplifting Exchange Year
An Uplifting Exchange Year was a story from a Bangladeshi student, Wassy Tahsan (YES 2023-2024), who was placed in Minnetrista, Minnesota during his exchange year. It was literally an uplifting year for Wassy considering he learned about being a pilot, among other...
Our Latest Newsletter
Read our latest edition of iEARN-USA Impact by clicking the arrows to flip each page.
What Our Participants Are Saying
iEARN-USA has a vast network of educators around the globe successfully integrating our collaborative projects into their class curricula. They’re finding their students are more engaged and excited about learning, and many have been so inspired by their experiences that it ended up shaping their college and career choices after high school.
Find out how to become a member and a participating school in our network!
Receive News Updates from iEARN-USA!
Several times a year, iEARN-USA shares important news updates about our programs and event information with our subscribers. We value your participation and will not share your information with anyone at any time.
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