In 1989, Project Harmony initiated the School Linkage Program in which students and teachers from schools in the United States and the former Soviet Union were matched directly. During the academic year Americans traveled to the NIS for a two to three-week period during which they lived in the homes of their counterparts, attended classes at the host school and participated in a cultural program. Each NIS partner school designed its own itinerary so every program was unique. Similarly, the NIS participants traveled to the US for a two to three-week visit in which they lived with American families and participated in a program designed by the US school. Exchange groups varied in size from 10-25 persons. American schools could elect to be paired with a NIS school in a specific location or with a special focus such as English language, music, mathematics, computers, science or art. A Project Harmony staff member fluent in English and Russian accompanied each group in the NIS to facilitate the exchange. Project Harmony was one of the organizations designated for school partnerships by the United States Department of State – Educational and Cultural Affairs Division and has received support yearly from the Department of State for school linkage programs from 1993 - 2000.
