Econ Illinois:
International Classroom Partnership
The International Classroom Partnership (ICP) program grew out of the Council for Economic Education EconomicsInternational Program. The ICP pairs classrooms from the U.S. with classrooms in one of the Council's partner countries for ongoing, cooperative learning experiences. The program was initially piloted by several schools in Colorado, and has been continued and expanded in Illinois by Econ Illinois.
In 2004, four schools in Illinois partnered with four schools in Romania (one teacher in each school). Through this partnership, the teachers planned lessons or projects on which their classes worked cooperatively during the school year, sharing their project outcomes through the internet. Three of the original four Romanian teachers are still partnering with U.S. teachers, designing activities each year to engage their students in learning about the economy and culture of their partner country, and examining the economic issues faced by both nations.
In recent years, the opportunities for partnership have grown, with more teachers in Romania and Bulgaria expressing interest in working with U.S. partners, and with some opportunities for U.S. schools to partner with schools in South Africa as well. Econ Illinois has modest grants available for the international schools involved with partnerships to assist in the work. U.S. teachers also have the opportunity to apply for EconomicsInternational Study Tours to other countries and to the Training of Writers program, both sponsored by the Council for Economic Education.
Illinois teachers interested in a classroom partnership should complete an International Partnership Interest form and fax it to Econ Illinois at 815.753.0355.
Council for Economic Education international programs are supported through a Cooperative Education Exchange Program grant from the U.S. Department of Education.
