What do you think about a student exchange program within the US?

There are dozens of domestic exchange programs for college students already in place.

Source See the links in the first half of the site only. (The second half lists the foreign exchange programs.

None seem to be designed for high school students.

There are a few programs but they are school-specific, such as this one at Princeton Country Day School

In some high schools an enterprising and energetic guidance counselor might be able to set things up. Some high schools also have independent projects as part of the curriculum where this could be arranged.

I wouldn’t object to something where you do a year of community service someplace and maybe get 50% off your first year of tuition at college. Voluntary of course, I’m not a Socialist, actually I am.

I know a high school student from New Jersey who lived in a very privileged suburb and undertook on his own to live in Newark and attend an inner city high school for a semester. The students at that high school were a bit angry when his subterfuge was revealed. He had pretended he had moved there and afterward wrote about his experiences. He did get into Brown though.

Our school does this with a partner school, it helps they both have residential care (boarding school) programs in place.

I like the idea a lot.

@gailcalled I actually was not thinking at the college level, but I failed to exclude that in my original post. It didn’t occur to me. I was just thinking 7–12.

The closest thing I could find was this.

This isn’t exactly what you are asking about since it deals only with NYC low-income kids having a summer experience in the country and does not ship privileged kids into the inner city.

The Fresh Air Fund

I was an international exchange student during my university days for one year. I spent it in Japan, and it changed my life. I am a fanatical supporter of international exchange programs and foreign language study by extension.

In fact, my daughters and I hosted two Japanese junior high school students while they were here studying English just this past few weekends. (No, I didn’t speak any Japanese to them until their departure when they were quite surprised.)

Personally, I think international when I hear the word exchange. Honestly, I don’t think going from one part of the country to another is in the same league. Despite our many differences, we are one culture. An exchange program is meant to bring about fundamental experiences. Going to university does that already, but going to one in the same country, in my opinion, would not provide the necessary shift at the foundation level.

I have been writing about tertiary education, but I would say the same applies for secondary education, too. Spending time away from one’s mother culture and immersing oneself in another is the core of any exchange program. I simply don’t see how that idea would be served by staying in the same country.