New Perspectives

The Forum has continued to field media calls, and today The Christian Science Monitor featured the Forum in "Schools scrutinize and promote study abroad: Concerns over travel 'perks' lead to a clarification of funding behind increasingly popular overseas programs" by Stacy Teicher Khadaroo.

The Forum on Education Abroad, which represents colleges and providers that account for about 75 percent of US study abroad, had already approved a set of standards in July and had planned an upcoming ethics conference.

"We welcome scrutiny," says Forum president Brian Whalen. "What's key in all of this is transparency.... People are realizing it's important for everyone in the field to explain what the business practices are ... so students and parents understand them."

The Standards were mentioned in a section on tips for planning to study abroad:

The Forum on Education Abroad offers a set of questions you can ask about an organization's policies and standards on their website (http://www.forumea.org/ - click on the "standards" tab at the top and then again on the left). The many topics include preparation before travel, safety, financial aid, and ethics policies.