International

Fewer Foreign-Exchange Students Coming to America

By Vaishali Honawar — January 19, 2005 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

The number of foreign-exchange students in U.S. high schools has dropped since the 1990s.

The Council on Standards for International Education Travel, an Alexandria, Va.-based group that identifies and supports international youth-exchange programs, estimates that some 25,000 international students entered the United States in 2003-04, compared with more than 30,000 students annually during the ’90s.

The group’s executive director, John O. Hishmeh, attributed the decline to the likelihood that fewer U.S. high schools were willing to host exchange students because of budget constraints. He said it also appears as if fewer families volunteer to provide homes during the time the students live in America. Security concerns after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, probably played a role as well, he added.

Anecdotal evidence, meanwhile, suggests that countries such as Australia have registered increases in the numbers of foreign-exchange students in the past few years.

Germany sends the largest number of exchange students to the United States, followed by Brazil, South Korea, and Japan.

Exchange programs, said Mr. Hishmeh, are the “cornerstone of U.S. diplomacy.”

Coverage of cultural understanding and international issues in education is supported in part by the Atlantic Philanthropies.
A version of this article appeared in the January 19, 2005 edition of Education Week

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Reading & Literacy Webinar
(Re)Focus on Dyslexia: Moving Beyond Diagnosis & Toward Transformation
Move beyond dyslexia diagnoses & focus on effective literacy instruction for ALL students. Join us to learn research-based strategies that benefit learners in PreK-8.
Content provided by EPS Learning
Classroom Technology Live Online Discussion A Seat at the Table: Is AI Out to Take Your Job or Help You Do It Better?
With all of the uncertainty K-12 educators have around what AI means might mean for the future, how can the field best prepare young people for an AI-powered future?
Special Education K-12 Essentials Forum Understanding Learning Differences
Join this free virtual event for insights that will help educators better understand and support students with learning differences.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

International What the Research Says It's Not Just U.S. Students. Civics Scores Have Dropped Around the World
Eighth graders are less engaged and knowledgeable about government than they were before the pandemic, a global study finds.
5 min read
vote ballot initiatives money 1371378601 01
LAUDISENO/iStock/Getty and EdWeek
International England Pushes for Cellphone Bans in Schools. Could the U.S. Be Next?
England is the latest country seeking to keep cellphones out of class.
3 min read
Tight crop photo of a student looking at their cellphone during class. The background is blurred, but shows students wearing uniforms.
E+
International Photos PHOTOS: Take a Round-the-World Tour of the Return to School
Here's what back to school looks like in classrooms around the globe.
1 min read
A teacher gives a lesson on the first day of school at a cadet lyceum in Kyiv, Ukraine on Sept. 4, 2023.
Young cadets sing the national anthem during a ceremony on the first day of school at a cadet lyceum in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Sept. 4, 2023.
Efrem Lukatsky/AP
International Opinion School Reform Is Tough All Over, Not Just in the U.S.
Even though some reforms produce evidence of student success, that often isn't enough to overcome political hurdles.
6 min read
Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty