Georgia Education Department Signs MOU with South Korea

WABE

March 25th, 2013

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Georgia schools superintendent John Barge today signed a Memorandum of Understanding with South Korea. The partnership will establish a first-of-its-kind cultural exchange program between Korea and a U.S. state.

26 South Korean teachers will be placed at schools in Fulton and Gwinnett Counties for 10 weeks. Ha Tae Yun, South Korea’s Vice Minister of Education, says the idea is to provide a cultural exchange where teachers and students learn from each other.

“My teachers in here will learn not only English skills, but also they will learn about Georgia’s educational system,” he says.

State superintendent John Barge said Fulton and Gwinnett were chosen because of their diverse student populations.

“We have so many children here who are part of our public education system that we have to understand their culture and their language to be able to really raise student achievement levels,” Barge said.

Barge said to complete the exchange, teachers from the two counties will head to South Korea in the fall.