The Fulbright program was established in 1946 under legislation introduced by Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas. The Fulbright Program became part of the Fulbright-Hays Act (the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act) which was signed by President Kennedy in 1961.

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government designed to increase mutual understanding of the people of the United States and people of other countries. The Fulbright Program provides participants—chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential—with the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.

The Fulbright Classroom Teacher Exchange Program provides opportunities for teachers to participate in direct exchanges of positions with colleagues from other countries for a semester or academic year.  By living and working in the cultures of their host countries, Fulbright teachers gain an understanding and appreciation of the similarities and differences in national cultures and education systems.  Fulbright teachers enrich their schools and communities with a new awareness of other cultures and of events occurring in different parts of the world, providing students and citizens with new perspectives about the world in which they live.

Fulbright exchanges result in continuing relationships between schools, some of which establish their own student and faculty exchanges and Internet links.  In other instances, exchanges benefit local communities by providing them with international resources that are not otherwise available.  International collaborations such as these foster enduring relationships and continuously provide students with opportunities to increase their subject knowledge and understand its relevance in the greater context of the world.  Participating teachers develop and share their expertise with colleagues abroad, and schools gain from the experience of having an international resource in their communities. 

Full-time U.S. teachers are eligible to apply for a year-long or semester-long direct exchange of teaching positions with a counterpart in another country teaching the same subject(s) at the same level. Fulbright program staff in the U.S. and abroad match U.S. and overseas candidates in the spring of each year. Fulbright staff then propose matched-exchanges that each candidate and each school administration must approve before the program takes place.