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International Education in the Schools Newsletter



International Education in the Schools		Asia Society's monthly digest of news and events in K-12 international education. February 2007

To share international education events that are of interest to leaders and educators throughout the country, please email: hsingmaster@asiasociety.org
For information on Chinese language, including opportunities and new initiatives, sign up for the Chinese in the Schools newsletter.

In this issue

	Afterschool for the Global Age CCSSO Global Education Policy Statement North Carolina Releases Two New Reports Foreign Languages in the News Grants and Opportunities

CCSSO Global Education Policy Statement

The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), has published a policy statement on global education. Formulated at their Annual Summer Institute in July 2006, the statement updates a version released in 1985. Five major challenges faced by education policymakers are examined. Strategies to address the challenges include defining 21st century global knowledge and skills and redefining graduation requirements to include a thorough understanding of global studies.

CCSSO Global Education »

North Carolina Releases Two New Reports

The Public School Forum, a not-for-profit policy think tank in North Carolina, convened a study group to examine how to make North Carolina's schools more internationally competitive in math and science; create a curriculum to prepare students for a global environment; and provide professional development to allow teachers to improve in these content areas. The report, Creating Internationally Competitive Schools, examines these issues and makes recommendations in each area. To read more click here.

Preparing North Carolina Teachers for an Interconnected World, delves further into the issue of professional development and instilling a global perspective in teacher education programs, building their capacity to prepare students to interact with the world community both inside and outside of the state. Teacher education candidates should participate in:
-international experiences, including study abroad;
-intense, structured, globally-oriented engagement in the United States; and
-internationally focused coursework including language study.
To read more, including implementation strategies, click here.

Foreign Languages in the News

Foreign language learning continues to be a popular topic in the news. In late January, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs subcommittee held a hearing entitled, "Lost in Translation: A Review of the Federal Government's Efforts to Develop a Foreign Language Strategy." A bipartisan panel met to discuss the federal government's efforts to develop a foreign language strategy. For more on the hearing click here. On February 9, NPR's Morning Edition featured a story on the Pentagon's efforts to train more speakers of critical foreign languages, especially those spoken in the Middle East. To read news stories covering these topics click below.

At the state level, a federally funded program is assisting North Carolina in implementing an online Mandarin Chinese course. Especially beneficial to rural students with no access to Mandarin in a classroom setting, a key component of the online courses would be weekly sesions with native Chinese speakers who would serve as "conversation coaches." Click here for the article.

News Articles »

Grants and Opportunities

International Research and Studies Program: These U.S. Department of Education grants fund research, surveys, proficiency assessments, or studies that foster linkages between K-12 and postsecondary language training. The deadline is March 29. For more information click here.

Phi Delta Kappa Summit on Global Education: Phi Delta Kappa will hold a summit in Vancouver, British Columbia from October 18-20 to address the question, "How are our schools preparing today's students for work and citizenship in a global society?" Registration begins this month and scholarships are available. For more information click here.

Galapagos Islands Study Tour: Toyota International Teacher Program is accepting applications for a teacher study tour to the Galapagos Islands. Open to any educator in the United States. For more information click here.

iEARN Professional Development courses: iEARN's nine week online courses will help teachers integrate international collaborative project-based learning into the classroom while fulfilling curriculum standards. Courses begin February 19. Click here.

Afterschool for the Global Age

Afterschool and summer programs are an important, but until now largely untapped, opportunity to help prepare young people for employment and citizenship in the global age. These programs can naturally create connections to diverse communities and cultures, while promoting global literacy, social development, and academic enrichment. Afterschool programs are ideal settings to make vital connections to the real world, explore project-based learning, and to connect to peers worldwide through communication technologies.

To address this opportunity, Asia Society and The George Lucas Educational Foundation convened a national meeting to explore strategies for expanding internationally themed programming in afterschool and summer learning initiatives. Planned in collaboration with the Afterschool and Community Learning Network and The Children's Aid Society, this invitational forum brought together representatives from national groups, state and local leaders, and experts in informal learning and youth development.

As a result of the meeting, a report Afterschool for the Global Age was released last week at the Foundations, Inc. Beyond School Hours national conference. Both summarizing and expanding upon the meeting, the report offers a research-based overview of why international education is so vital today, and highlights promising practices, new innovations, and recommendations to mobilize action to build effective programs.

Afterschool for the Global Age





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