s noted in Section II (Critical Features of Exchanges),a key aspect of planning a successful educator exchange is matching the participants' expectations with the opportunities provided by a particular program. Along with establishing a set of goals, factors such as financial support, duration of exchange, and other logistics should be considered.

The two SEDL-sponsored exchanges described in Section III (SEDL's Educator Exchange Program) were conducted on a small scale, but included a total of 28 participating educators, both from the U.S. and Mexico. Through focus groups, questionnaires, and journals, participants discussed the value of the experience, the knowledge and skills they acquired during the exchange, and how they planned to implement what they had learned in the classroom. Included in this section is a profile of each of the two exchanges that provides background as well as other information about the exchange.

SEDL's attempt to provide a model of how educator exchanges can be carried out is not limited to a discussion of its own exchanges. By providing a list of existing educator exchange programs in this Resource Guide, SEDL hopes to assist those interested in participating in educator exchanges that offer a variety of experiences.

The exchange profiles in Section IV (Profiles of Active Exchange Programs) include useful information about programs that were active at the time this publication was produced. Furthermore, a contact person is given for those wishing to obtain additional information regarding a particular exchange.

As an example, the exchange Program for Mexican Communities Abroad (Programa para las Comunidades Mexicanas en el Extranjero, or PCME), currently sponsors exchanges in many states. The exchange typically calls for a two-way exchange, meaning the participating U.S. teacher or school is committed to hosting a Mexican teacher as part of the exchange. This program is designed for elementary and middle/junior high teachers or administrators. The exchange normally lasts from four to six weeks, and requires some financial support. This particular exchange caters to educators of Mexican American and Mexican immigrant students. Additional information regarding the program can be obtained by contacting one of the many Mexican Institutes and Cultural Centers in the U.S. listed in Section IV.

SEDL plans to make this document available on-line in the near future in PDF format. Please check our web site at http://www.sedl.org.