1. International Opportunities: Expanding Your School’s Capacity Through Sister School Partnerships The Ogden International School of Chicago ASIA SOCIETY iSSN 2011 Conference July 7th, 2011 Kenneth M. Staral Principal

2. Presentation overview In this session we will offer a practical guide to setting up “Sister School Partnerships”, discuss travel opportunities both domestic and abroad and address common pitfalls when planning trips. Additional topics to be discussed are: project collaboration (between sister schools), service learning on trips, student sponsorship, and visitors/hosting opportunities. We will provide insider travel/booking tips, website resources and a short list of do’s and dont’s In conclusion we would like to offer our opinions and rationale behind expanding ISSN student travel collaboration.

3. Ogden/Chicago partners with official “Sister Cities and Sister Schools” Mayoral initiative lends additional resources, business partnerships and legitimacy. Students’ Benefits: +City Hall & Mayoral visits +Sister Schools Signing +Committed Sister Schools provide: -teacher leads, collaborative projects -custom itineraries -a culture of care for all aspects of the trip Sister school partnerships

4. Sister schools

5. Domestic and International travel ‘American’ Experiences Passport required Ideally done with: -Younger students or low SES (due to decreased cost) -ISSN Partner (more later) -Larger group or whole class -As a teambuilding event over a long weekend -Hotel Stay Can be: -Part of a credit course or done for partial HS credit -Home Stay over a period of 10-13 days -Completed over school breaks, including summer

6. Avoid at all costs -Booking through a third party (Orbitz, Travelocity…) -Tour Groups (E.F., Trip America…) -Taking groups of 90 students anywhere (or talk to Theresa M. to do it right) -1st time trips that have not been meticulously pre-planned -Staying anywhere that is not a city center or next to the host school (4th arrondissment)

7. Projects: A minimum requirement for students to engage in prior to travel Opportunity for those that do not travel via V.C., Skype… Set around a international topic, grade requirement and is cross disciplinary Service: Predetermined requirements done in collaboration with and NOT for the host school Tasks are S.M.A.R.T. Student “by-in” is 100% and kids are motivated Environmental concerns and the like work better than “social ills” Project collaboration and service learning

8. Projects and Service

9. Student sponsorship & budgeting At Ogden we employ a mix of strategies when approaching financing: Each trips is evaluated based on overall price, current student interest, age and depth of partnership, grade bands traveling, and reciprocal requirements (hosting, cost to school…) We charge students full price for trips (air, lodging, activities, food, inter-country travel*) We sponsor students for 50% of total trip costs We also sponsor students through Ogden’s rental income, Principal cultivated anonymous donors and from local business sponsors We NEVER charge students for chaperone expenses (above* including sub-coverage)

10. Sponsoring & Budgeting:

11. Hosting

12. Hosting… It’s a TWO way street: hosting relationships must be equal, that includes: -Length of trip -# of students traveling, # of chaperones traveling -Expectations (activities, time in school, home stay requirements) -Exchange rate -Common policies (trip, health and emergency insurance) -Transparent rules for special circumstances (SPED students, home situations) Ogden sponsors a myriad of events to support our host parents (from packed daily events, pick up and drop off at airport, sponsored weekend events and waiving the hosting fees), having said that our biggest challenge is getting host families to host. -Engage students first then call parents directly to hosting meetings -Promote hosting through student presentations, special events and local field experiences for Ogden students -Ogden Staff hosts chaperones

13. Booking tips Web-resources Group Travel benefits www.budgettravel.com/ www.ricksteves.com/ www.kayak.com book the alerts to get notification secure airfare, when comparable, directly from airline Lower air rates for 6+ -assign names later Train and transit discounts (bulk buys for metro, tube, subway) Lower hotel rates for chaperones or mini-trips Prepay for excursions, admissions to avoid over budget expenses

14. ISSN: Networks, partnerships ISSN provides a space to “virtually post” all upcoming trips, partnerships and international school based events for that fiscal year ISSN Schools can: Send school representatives on partner ISSN trips to scout locations, find a “sister school, see a partnership in action or to chaperone (Language B option) Send students to visit each others school (Henry Street NYC to LA) as discrete exchanges Use partner schools to provide a low cost travel option, or for students unable to travel internationally Trifecta Partner with schools based on: curricular need (ACT), grade level commonality (application to University) or project/lab goals (testing water pollution in East, Chicago and Danube Rivers)

15. Cheers & safe travels