Central Michigan University

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

TEPD offers an unusual international student teaching experience in the Spring semester. The identified schools are all private and English-speaking. (There may be one Spanish-speaking school included for student teachers interested and qualified for such a placement.) Students will complete approximately eight weeks of student teaching in Michigan schools and then complete the remainder of their internship in Santo Domingo. Schools have been chosen for their high academic standards, their diverse student and teacher backgrounds, and their curricular offerings. For example, one school avoids reliance on standard textbooks and encourages its teachers and students to work with authentic materials and primary sources. This unique approach to curriculum will enrich teacher education students’ knowledge bases and pedagogical skills. Teachers come from many countries including the Dominican Republic, the U.S., Haiti, Cuba, Argentine, and Canada. Most of the students enrolled in the identified K-12 schools are upper middle class or above. Custodial and security workers are also present at all school sites. Politically, the Dominican Republic has been one of the most stable countries in Latin America since the 1960s. Dominicans tend to be very friendly, open, and willing to share the beauty of their language, culture, and country.

Santo Domingo is the capital city of the Dominican Republic, which is located in the West Indies and occupies the eastern part of the island of Hispaniola.

Program Mission:

1. International experiences are a means to further the student’s personal and professional growth and development. Students should develop both an understanding of another culture and increase their ability to make comparative decisions and judgments.
2. These experiences are preparation for intelligent participation in the student’s own society and the furthering of an international understanding.
3. Experience in Western Australia can also be a stimulus to a student’s growth in academic competence. This experience builds on eight weeks of student teaching in Michigan to provide continuity and support for the preparation of teachers for multicultural classrooms.

Costs and Financial Aid:

1. In addition to regular tuition, students also need to budget for personal spending money, cost of living accommodations, field trips, health insurance, airfare, meals, passport and administrative fees. Costs will vary from year to year depending on airfare, value of the dollar, etc. Costs were estimated at about $4000 for the Spring 2006 experience.
2. Financial aid provided by CMU may be applied toward the cost of this program. It is also possible to apply for aid based on the program's additional cost. Students are encouraged to apply for the various available scholarships both through TEPD and CMU. Click here for TEPD scholarship information and click here for OIE scholarships for study abroad.

Accommodations: Students will live in Dominican family homes, centrally located in the capital city. Their home stay families will provide room and board. The schools will provide transportation to and from the schools and lunches on school days.

Expectations of Students: In addition to the minimum qualifications for all student teachers, students participating in this program should be open to new cultures, flexible, and willing to learn some basic conversational Spanish. To determine skill and dispositions for this program, students may be asked to write a one-page essay addressing their intercultural aptitudes to be evaluated by the University Coordinator for the program in Santo Domingo.

Students will be required to attend all student teaching seminars in Mt. Pleasant during the first eight weeks of the student teaching program in Michigan and all student teaching seminars and excursions in the Dominican Republic.

Applications: Three applications are required.

1. A TEPD Student Teaching Application.
2. An International Student Teaching Application.
3. An Office of International Education application.

For further information, please feel free to contact Ann Neal at 989-774-4411 or e-mail neal1al@cmich.edu.