During the course of the Spring 2012 semester, three teams of students from the International Education Policy (IEP) program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) will be travelling to Morocco, Brazil and Jamaica. During their visits, the delegations will meet with local ministry officials, teachers, students, and employees of third-party organizations to learn about the educational system in each country. They will investigate the strengths and weaknesses of the education programs in each country and learn about the unique challenges faced by such vastly different cultures. The goal of this program is to identify what the authors of the book Switch call "bright spots": situations where people have overcome odds that were stacked against them to create a positive environment. In the case of education, this may be successful strategies for beginning and sustaining schools in rural areas or policies that increase the participation of previously under-served groups. Completing a comparative study abroad program will allow participants to evaluate what policies and practices are working in each country, and whether or not they can be transferred to countries still requiring assistance. Findings will be presented in a conference at HGSE during the semester, as well as being shared here on the blog.
