INFORMATIONAL

 The Virginia Department of Education and Old Dominion University announce the 2000 
Teachers' Study Seminar in Turkey.  This program offers teachers and administrators 
a unique opportunity to focus on Virginia's Standards of Learning through on-site 
lectures and meetings with officials in Turkey.  Besides site visits, seminar 
participants will attend talks arranged by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs 
and the Turkish-American Association, and travel to Istanbul, Ankara, Cappadocia, 
Ephesus, Troy, and Gallipoli.

The seminar will concentrate on major themes in the Standards of Learning including 
ancient civilizations, the Crusades, the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires, and modern 
Turkish politics and geography.  Participating teachers will return to Virginia's 
school divisions with fresh insights to carry out a demanding curricula.

The Virginia study seminar is an 11-day trip scheduled to leave the United States 
on July 31 and return on August 10, 2000.  Fifteen teachers and administrators will 
be selected to travel as representatives of the Commonwealth of Virginia.  Applicants
must complete an application form to be eligible for the study seminar.  An 
announcement of the seminar and an application form will be mailed to all principals 
in April. 

Selected participants must agree to attend two one-day training seminars in Richmond 
before the departure date.  The training seminars provide essential orientation and 
background materials for the trip.

The costs to participants will be approximately $1,900 per person. Costs may vary 
slightly because negotiations for meals and lodging have not been completed.

Thank you for your support of the study seminar. If you have questions regarding 
this program, please do not hesitate to contact Dr. Beverly Thurston, specialist 
for history, social sciences, and international education at (804) 225-2893.

JLD/BMT/jf