http://www.onlinesentinel.com/news/unfavorable-exchange-rates-in-public-schools_2011-10-16.html
Private institutions’ financial advantage helps them attract foreign students to Maine, some educators say
STRONG -- More foreign exchange students have been coming
to Maine in recent years to attend private high schools, but many public
schools also interested in expanding their cultural diversity have
struggled to keep pace.
Some educators believe the public schools are being left behind
because they can't compete financially with private institutions, which
are reaping educational benefits for their students by tapping into the
increasing number of student exchange programs looking for partners in
America.
The biggest difference recently has been the growing divide between
schools' abilities to find places for the exchange students to live when
they get here, according to the Maine Principals' Association Executive
Director Dick Durost.
Public school districts, which are taxpayer-supported and have open
enrollment, rely on community members who let exchange students live in
their homes while they study at nearby high schools.
Private school institutions, where students pay tuition to attend,
can offer the same option. But, over the last five years, many of those
institutions statewide have also been adding to their on-campus housing
facilities to attract more students from abroad, Durost said.
DISTANCE LEARNING: Exchange student
Eduardo Ojeda, 17, of Valencia, Venezuela, center, poses with Sarah and
Isaac Stone at the Stones’ Winslow home on Friday. Eduardo is attending
Winslow High School as a junior this year. More foreign exchange
students have been coming to Maine in recent years to attend private
high schools, but many public schools also interested in expanding their
cultural diversity have struggled to keep pace.
Staff photo by Michael G. Seamans
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