Indiana University of Pennsylvania will host a cohort of international educators this fall after being chosen as a site for the 2026 Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Program, officials announced Friday. The campus will welcome 20 visiting teachers from 15 countries for a semester of coursework, observation and classroom teaching.
Who’s coming and when
The teachers represent Bangladesh, Botswana, Brazil, Finland, Greece, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, the Philippines, Senegal, Singapore, Taiwan and Uganda. They will be in residence at IUP from Aug. 12 through Dec. 10, participating in professional development classes and working as guest teachers in local schools.
Program structure and funding
The initiative brings international primary and secondary educators—Fulbright recipients in their home countries—to the United States for a combination of coursework, classroom practice and collaborative projects. During their stay, participants will take professional development courses at IUP, observe U.S. classrooms and teach in both the Indiana Area School District and the Pittsburgh Public School system.
| Detail | Figure |
|---|---|
| Visiting educators | 20 |
| Countries represented | 15 |
| Program funding to IUP (2026) | $275,000 |
| Total funding received for initiative to date | $2.675 million |
Significance and local partnerships
IUP has hosted this program and its predecessor for more than a decade; the campus was selected for the 2026 cohort for the 11th consecutive year. Including this year’s group, IUP has hosted 200 international educators since spring 2016. The university is one of only two U.S. host institutions named for the 2026 program and the only host in Pennsylvania.
- Visiting educators will complete an individual or group "Educator Project" tied to practice in their home countries.
- The grant comes from the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and is administered by IREX.
- Eleven past participants have since enrolled in graduate programs at IUP.
Dr. Michele Petrucci serves as the grant principal investigator for the IUP program. Dr. Edel Reilly, dean of the College of Education and Human Services, collaborates closely on the initiative.
For communities and classrooms, the semester offers direct exposure to global teaching methods and the chance for U.S. educators and students to engage with peers from a wide range of education systems—an exchange intended to inform practice both here and abroad.
