High Schools’ Frequently Asked Questions
What is the role of an Exchange Program Coordinator (EPC)?
The EPC is intimately involved with many of the details that surround this cross-cultural
home stay experience. Coordinators help match families with incoming students. They
also communicate with local schools to make preparations for the visiting student’s
arrival. During the school year, the EPC has regular contact with students, families
and high schools, providing guidance and support to help insure that the experience
is going as smoothly as possible. SHARE! EPCs are independent contractors who receive
a placement documentation fee at the time of placement, and are further compensated
monthly on a per-student basis.
How much contact is the EPC required to have with our school?
The EPC is required to contact the school 4 times a year to conduct Monthly Progress
Reports. We ask you to kindly please be patient with these calls, however routine
they may seem. The Monthly Progress Reports go to the students’ parents, to give
them an idea of how their child is doing. If your school does not have time for
these 4 phone calls, please tell the EPC so that he/she can get permission to omit
the school information for those month’s reports.
Culture shock... what should we expect? How should we deal with it?
Remember – culture shock is the normal reaction to the stress & confusion of trying
to adapt to living in a foreign culture. SHARE! provides students with a guide that
explains some of the stages of cultural adjustment and helps them to recognize and
react to these stages. Download “’Why Do I Feel Like This?’ All About The
Adjustment Cycle: A Guide For Students.” If a student reports depression,
major mood swings or thoughts of suicide, contact the EPC immediately.
Can we send a student from our school to another country on an exchange
program? SHARE! does not have an outbound high school program; however,
we do have an excellent volunteer program, called Volunteer Ventures, that provides
people 18 and over with volunteer opportunities abroad. Contact
us for more information about this program.
Do we get a chance to evaluate the SHARE! program? Yes.
We send out two sets of evaluations during the year - one shortly after the student
arrives and another just before the student departs. The evaluations go to the students,
host families and high schools. We review all evaluations as they come in and use
them to continuously improve our program.
Do exchange students need to be enrolled in a specific grade level?
Italian, Serbian and Montenegrin students must be enrolled as seniors. (This is
stated on the "High School Authorization To Enroll" form.) All other students may
be enrolled in any grade level. Some schools enroll students in the same grade level
as their U.S. classmates of the same age; other schools enroll all exchange students
as seniors, for example, so that they may experience senior-year festivities. Aside
from Italian, Serbian and Montenegrin students, SHARE! students are expected to
accept their assigned grade level without complaint.
Our student's application is missing some academic transcript paperwork
or medical paperwork. How can we get copies? In some instances, paperwork
may have not been uploaded to the student's online application. Contact the student's
EPC to get copies of this paperwork. If you cannot reach the EPC and need the paperwork
urgently, you may contact the SHARE! National Office.
May a SHARE! student take Driver’s Education? No. It is
against SHARE! rules for a student to drive any motorized vehicle in the U.S., including
their host family’s car or a Driver’s Education car.
Are there any class requirements for exchange students?
SHARE! prefers that students take American History and/or English, and that at least
2/3 of their classes be academic in nature. Many students have specific classes
that they must take to meet academic requirements in their home country. It is the
student's responsibility to enroll in these classes while in the U.S.; however,
if your school does not offer the required classes, the student must choose other
classes without complaint.
What are the academic standards that SHARE! students are held to?
Students must maintain a “C” (2.0) average, with no failing grades (F’s). Students
who do not follow this rule will be put on academic probation until their grades
improve. If their grades do not improve, the student may be repatriated.
Do we need to allow the student to graduate / get a diploma / play
sports? No. Students are told that they must accept the school’s decision
with regards to diplomas, graduation, and playing sports. If a student is lobbying
your school to change this decision, contact the student’s Exchange Program Coordinator,
who will take disciplinary action.
What do we do if there is a problem with our student – academic,
behavior, language, or otherwise? Contact your EPC, who will discuss
the options with you. Behavioral or academic probation is often used in these cases.
If tutoring is needed, the students’ natural parents will bear this cost. If a student’s
English is too poor to continue at your school, SHARE! will repatriate the student
upon receipt of a written notice from the school, dismissing the student.
What do we do if we receive a report that the student is a victim
or perpetrator of abuse? Follow your legal reporting requirements, then
contact the EPC. He/she has received the Stewards of Children training, which teaches
adults to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to the reality of child abuse.
Alternately, you may contact the SHARE! National Office.
Our student’s cultural “norms,” (for example, hygiene, dress, behavior,
or communication style) make the teachers and/or other students uncomfortable. Since
the student is really doing nothing wrong, how do we deal with this?
The purpose of the SHARE! program is to teach students how people in the U.S. live,
and how they can adapt to that way of living. Approach the issue with honesty and
explain that if the student were to work on changing this aspect of themselves,
they could get a better feeling for U.S. culture. And remember, humor can help smooth
over what could be a difficult conversation! Certainly contact your EPC if you need
assistance or if the student does not change this behavior.
May we find a family to host a student with particular athletic ability,
to help our sports programs become better? No. This is strictly against
the rules of CSIET, the governing body of exchange student programs. It is probably
also against your state and/or local high school athletic association’s rules. For
this reason, school coaches are not allowed to host students who play their sport.
Is there a question you think we missed? Let us know at
info@erdtshare.org, and thanks!
