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With broad-based
support, it is possible to turn this vision of improving our school
system into reality. Our higher education institutions posess some of
the finest resources anywhere. Many not-for-profit organizations with
international expertise offer programs and materials for teachers and
students. There are also superior textbooks and classroom resources.
Last, but certainly not least, there are outstanding teachers and school
programs that exemplify teaching and learning about the world in our
schools.
What's needed
is for all sectors of society to promote these models nationwide and
offer all students the knowledge and skills they need to succeed
in an interconnected world. What follows are measures the National Commission
[1] urges educators, parents
and business and community leaders to take:
ON
THIS PAGE
 What
governors can do
What
parents and guardians can do
What
state education departments can do
What
schools and districts can do
What
professional organizations and teacher's unions can do
What
higher education institutions can do
What
academic associations and individual scholars can do
What
the business community can do
What
publishers can do
What
the media can do
What
museums, libraries and other nonprofit organizations can do
What
philanthropic organizations can do
What
the nation can do
What governors
can do
GOAL
As chief stewards of their states’ economic well-being and as innovators
in education, governors should take the lead in raising public awareness
of the need for better education about other world regions and in developing
statewide plans for achieving that goal.
RECOMMENDED
ACTIONS TO BUILD AWARENESS
Include teachers in international trade missions
to enhance their exposure to other world areas and convey official recognition
of their critical role in expanding international knowledge and goodwill.
Use
public appearances as forums for talking about the importance of student
international knowledge and skills and its connections to state economic
development.
RECOMMENDED
ACTIONS TO MARSHAL STATE RESOURCES
Create
a Governor’s Task Force on International Education in conjunction with
leading business, media, state policy, and education leaders that will
focus on the economic and citizenship imperatives for an international
education focus. The Task Force should conduct an inventory of the state’s
international resources, examine how these could be used in teaching
as well as accounting of available instruction, and issue a report that
sets the agenda for action at the state and local levels.
- Issue
a supplemental report that highlights the state’s links to other countries,
using its release to call attention to “best practices” statewide
and nationally.
Get
involved!
What
parents and guardians can do
GOAL
Parents and guardians should become advocates in ensuring that their
children develop the skills and tools to help them succeed in the 21st
Century. They should work with teachers and through parents’ groups
to create a demand for international education as a key aspect of elementary
and secondary schooling.
RECOMMENDED
ACTIONS TO RAISE AWARENESS
-
Attend school board meetings to bring attention to the need for international
education.
-
Contribute articles and letters to the editor of local newspapers
about the need to improve international education.
RECOMMENDED
ACTIONS TO IMPROVE SCHOOLS
- Support
measures to integrate relevant content, including internationally
themed topics, into the core curriculum of the school.
- Demand
that schools place qualified personnel to teach all subjects, insisting
that those assigned to teach about world history and international
affairs possess sound knowledge of their subjects.
- Seek
opportunities for children to study world languages and advocate their
inclusion as an option for students.
- Offer
their expertise and experience to the classroom.
RECOMMENDED
ACTIONS TO MARSHAL RESOURCES
- Work
with student and parent organizations to support exchange programs,
acquisition of materials, and field trips to museums rich in international
content.
- Host
exchange students from other countries.
Get
involved!
What
state education departments can do
GOAL
Chief state school officers and their departments of education should
ensure that their policies reflect a national priority for students
to learn about the world and that this priority helps shape the statewide
curriculum, assessment tools, and funding for professional development
of teachers and acquisition of classroom resources.
RECOMMENDED
ACTIONS TO IMPROVE TEACHER PREPARATION AND DEVELOPMENT
- Institute
a world history course requirement for teaching certification and
licensing and make teacher certification tests more reflective of
world history by including the history of Africa, Asia, Latin America
and the Middle East.
- Require
all social studies teachers to demonstrate a mastery of content and
teaching skills related to the standards being developed for students.
RECOMMENDED
ACTIONS TO IMPROVE LEARNING STANDARDS
- Develop
curriculum standards that promote integration of internationally themed
content across the curriculum by working with specialists, particularly
scholars.
- Connect
new standards to state policies on curriculum, assessment, teacher
education, professional, development, accountability, and finance.
RECOMMENDED
ACTIONS TO IMPROVE FOREIGN LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION
- Reallocate
existing dollars or secure new monies to initiate or expand foreign-language
programs to include less commonly taught languages.
- Work
with higher education institutions to urge them to include proficiency
in a second language as an admission requirement.
- Make
a commitment to hiring teachers who have knowledge about and experience
in countries besides the United States, paying particular attention
to those who speak another language.
RECOMMENDED
ACTIONS TO BUILD PARTNERSHIPS
- Become
active participants in the proposed state-level Task Force on International
Education and endorse specific steps to build an international focus
in schools.
- Set
up an “innovation fund” to which schools and individual teachers can
apply to improve international education at the individual school
level, then spread the lessons throughout the state.
Get
involved!
What
schools and districts can do
GOAL
Schools and school districts should strengthen the teaching and
learning about the world by expanding worthwhile programs from the classroom,
to the school, and to the entire district.
RECOMMENDED
ACTIONS TO ENHANCE THE CURRICULUM AND COURSE OFFERINGS
- Specify
international studies content in local standards and curriculum.
- Develop
a plan with goals and targets to increase the number of students taking
advanced courses such as Advanced Placement World History, Human Geography
and world languages.
- Purchase
high-quality instructional materials.
RECOMMENDED
ACTIONS TO SUPPORT TEACHERS
- Offer
teacher professional development on international studies and allow
time during the school day for teachers to collaborate on lesson and
course design.
- Institute
sabbatical or professional development leave that will allow teachers
to participate in structured study and travel opportunities.
RECOMMENDED
ACTIONS TO RAISE AWARENESS AND EXPAND BEST PRACTICES
- Conduct
an academic and program audit of their current effort to help students
learn about Asia and other regions. This audit should address courses
offered, curriculum content in all subjects and at all grade levels,
teacher preparation and professional development, textbooks and other
materials, and student and teacher contact with counterparts in other
nations and regions.
- Highlight
best practices in districts and schools and use school- and districtwide
meetings as well as Web and print vehicles to share their examples.
Get
involved!
What
professional organizations and teachers' unions can do
GOAL
Professional organizations and teachers’ unions should support continued
improvement of the K–12 system by providing teachers with the tools
needed to bridge policy mandates and classroom realities. They should
use their influence as national and regional organizations to reach
far-flung audiences.
RECOMMENDED
ACTIONS TO RAISE AWARENESS
- Promote
professional development about standards-based teaching of Asia-related
content among members.
- Include
Asia-related materials and hyperlinks on union Web portals and other
electronic resources.
RECOMMENDED
ACTIONS TO BRIDGE POLICY WITH PRACTICE
- Highlight
an emphasis on Asia-related content in their recommended standards
and partner with groups or individuals with expertise on Asia to develop
modules or lessons to support teaching to their standards.
- Broker
partnerships for teacher professional development between K–12, higher
education institutions, and other resource organizations with Asia-related
expertise.
- Negotiate
for more time and resources for high quality teacher professional
development on Asia and Asian American themes.
RECOMMENDED
ACTIONS TO SUPPORT TEACHERS AND TO IMPROVE TEACHING ENVIRONMENT
- Support
professional growth planning processes that encourage teachers to
set goals for professional learning that includes Asia-related content.
- Support
the recruitment of Asian American teachers and other teachers of color.
Get
involved!
What
higher education institutions can do
GOAL
Institutions of higher education should commit to extending their resources
and scholars to enrich learning experiences at the elementary and secondary
level. Furthermore, in the courses they offer, and in student requirements,
schools of education should encourage prospective teachers to develop
knowledge of Asia and skills to integrate Asia-related material across
subjects.
RECOMMENDED
ACTIONS TO LINK INSTITUTIONAL RESOURCES WITH K-12 SCHOOLS
- Offer
incentives and reward scholars for K–12 involvement.
- Encourage
students who have returned from study abroad in Asia and Asian students
who are studying in the United States to engage in community outreach
activities.
- Reintroduce
a language requirement for admission.
- Survey
Asia-related resources and compile and centralize this information
for dissemination to the community, especially to schools.
RECOMMENDED
ACTIONS TO IMPROVE TEACHER PREPARATION
- Establish
a course requirement on international affairs for all students working
toward a social studies teaching certificate.
- Encourage
the faculty of schools of education to work with the arts and science
faculty to design coursework that integrates internationally themed
content into teacher education programs.
- Encourage
aspiring teachers to pursue competency in a second language.
Get
involved!
What academic
associations and individual scholars can do
GOAL
Professional associations for scholars and specialists, such as the
Association for Asian Studies, the World History Associations and other
scholarly networks, should broaden their organizations’ roles and the
descriptions of their constituencies so that scholarship and teaching
are, in equal measure, a focus.
RECOMMENDED
ACTIONS FOR SCHOLARLY ORGANIZATIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS
- Revise
organizations’ assumptions so that service to schools and the community,
along with research work, are valued and institutionally rewarded.
- Offer
incentives and reward scholars for K–12 involvement, particularly
their work on textbooks and curriculum materials.
- Support
K–12 participation in their activities by highlighting K–12 and higher
education links in programs and sessions at annual conferences and
regional seminars as well as in publications, newsletters, and websites.
RECOMMENDED
ACTIONS FOR EVERY UNIVERSITY AND COLLEGE FACULTY MEMBER
- Become
involved in raising awareness and understanding of the need for international
education at a broader community level by speaking in schools and
at community functions.
- Contribute
articles focusing on teaching and learning about other world regions
to teaching journals and other forms of publications.
Get
involved!
What
the business community can do
GOAL
Companies and corporations with ties around the globe should
work with policymakers and schools to promote education policies, standards,
and content in international education.
RECOMMENDED
ACTIONS TO BUILD AWARENESS AND KNOWLEDGE OF THE NEW ECONOMY
- Contribute
op-ed articles to local or national newspapers, promoting the importance
of understanding our interdependence with other regions.
- Incorporate
material about international education in speeches and public appearances
by executives.
- Call
on trade associations and/or other business entities to establish
mechanisms, including websites, that show examples of our interconnectedness
with other parts of the world.
RECOMMENDED
ACTIONS TO PROMOTE INTERNATIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS
- Support
the establishment of school-to-school links among American schools
and schools in other countries through communications technology.
- Sponsor
programs and scholarships for students and teachers to reward accomplishment
in international education.
- Work
with schools to encourage job shadowing for students and develop teaching
opportunities for its workers and executives.
- Provide
financial backing to supply high-quality internationally themed materials
to schools.
- Use
influence as donors and their role as civic leaders at the local and
state levels to support study about other regions as integral components
of the education of teachers.
Get
involved!
What publishers
can do
GOAL
Publishers of educational tools, including textbooks, standardized tests,
videos/DVDs, websites and trade books, should involve scholars and other
content experts on other world regions in all phases of material development.
Such products should reflect current scholarship by presenting content
that is up-to-date and accurate.
RECOMMENDED
ACTIONS TO IMPROVE CONTENT
- Review
content in existing textbooks and curricula and purge materials that
are outdated, inaccurate, or else stereotype people or histories from
other world regions.
- Incorporate
internationally themed content into materials that fall outside the
history and social studies curricula.
RECOMMENDED
ACTIONS TO DISSEMINATE IMPROVED MATERIALS
- Seek
scholarly reviews of material and publicize the results.
- Market
products using rich internationally themed content as selling feature.
Get
involved!
What
the media can do
GOAL
The media should raise public awareness of the impact of current
events on our lives; they should also call attention to the importance
of international education at the local and national levels in meeting
global challenges.
RECOMMENDED
ACTIONS TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC:
- When
covering a story about a place in another part of the world, provide
geographic as well as some cultural context; identify the site on
a global map precisely in terms of its locality, country, and region
of the world.
- Newspapers
and television stations in every state should investigate and produce
a series on their state and the world, exploring the economic, cultural,
and people-to-people ties between their state and the rest of the
world.
- Research
and publish articles about best practice programs and individual teacher
and student accomplishments in their city or state.
- Incorporate
international learning into mainstream program content (photos, documentaries,
game shows, newscasts).
RECOMMENDED
ACTIONS TO EDUCATE CHILDREN
- Adapt
current events for inclusion in classroom editions of papers, magazines,
and broadcasts.
- Feature
“kids’ sections” that highlight world events and their relevance to
American children’s lives.
- Develop
feature stories and units on international affairs for classroom viewing.
Get
involved!
What
museums, cultural institutions, libraries and nonprofit organizations
can do
GOAL
Museums, cultural institutions, libraries, and nonprofit organizations
with expertise on other world regions should take a proactive role in
advancing international education through partnerships with schools
and districts.
RECOMMENDED
ACTIONS TO RAISE AWARENESS
- Promote
the study of other world regions in the schools through community
and school outreach.
- Host
internationally focused programs and events for teachers as well as
students.
- Designate
a staff person to initiate and administer school-institution contacts.
RECOMMENDED
ACTIONS TO ENRICH MATERIALS
- Lend
support to schools and districts in the development of teaching materials.
- Apply
institutional expertise in developing new resources and materials
on international themes.
RECOMMENDED
ACTIONS TO IMPROVE INSTRUCTION
- Offer
expertise to standards-producing agencies to promote the development
of subject-area standards and assessment tools that reflect greater
attention to international affairs.
- Develop
partnerships with schools and districts to help develop resources
and programs that directly advance teacher and student learning.
- Create
library and museum programs for children emphasizing authors, artists,
and subjects from other parts of the world.
Get
involved!
What philanthropic
organizations can do
GOAL
Philanthropic organizations should provide critical stimulus nationally
and locally by supporting mobilization efforts in addition to innovative
ideas or best practices that promote improved instruction and learning
other regions in our schools.
RECOMMENDED
ACTIONS TO SUPPORT TEACHER EDUCATION
- Sponsor
summer institutes and other forms of in-depth and sustained professional
develop-ment for teachers on teaching about the world.
- Establish
scholarships that will enable pre-service education majors to minor
in area studies as well as world history and create new fellowships
to train teacher experts who can serve as mentors to new teachers.
RECOMMENDED
ACTIONS TO SUPPORT STUDENT LEARNING
- Fund
and promote foreign language programs that feature less commonly taught
languages.
- Initiate
whole-school reform efforts built around a core of international education.
- Promote
new social studies curriculum initiatives that include broad international
content.
- Provide
grant support to promote development of resources and methods to use
emerging technologies to increase opportunities for teaching and learning
about other world regions in schools.
RECOMMENDED
ACTIONS TO IMPROVE MATERIAL RESOURCES
- Fund,
on an ongoing basis, content analysis of materials, particularly textbooks
and other basic education tools, to identify strengths and challenges
of existing teaching resources as they pertain to other parts of the
world.
- Sponsor
and publicize annual surveys of the nation’s progress toward developing
internationally themed materials that meet the highest standards.
- Make
classroom resources supported by philanthropic organizations available
free or at cost to schools.
RECOMMENDED
ACTIONS TO ENCOURAGE PARTNERSHIPS
- Support
the National Coalition on Asia and International
Studies in the Schools.
- At
the local or state level, stimulate alliances to bring together similar
groups to implement high quality models of international education.
- Use
the content analysis of Asia in the
Schools as a model to involve others in similar reviews of
teaching and learning about Africa, Latin America, and other parts
of the world.
- Encourage
collaboration and dialogue among program developers and resource providers
by supporting or hosting conferences or seminars on international
education involving local, national, and international participants.
Get
involved!
What the
nation can do
GOAL
At the national level, the President, Secretary of Education, Secretary
of State, and the leaders of the Congress should stimulate a national
dialogue on the importance of learning about diverse cultures and regions
of the world in order to meet global challenges and opportunities that
we face in the 21st Century.
RECOMMENDED
ACTION FOR THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
- Working
with state governors, convene a White House Conference on International
Education in Our Schools.
- Use
the national stage to stress the importance of international education
for K–12 students.
- Promote
a “teach about the world” day, when prominent Americans, including
Cabinet members, members of Congress, governors, and leaders in other
sectors, teach a K–12 class about other regions of the world.
- Recommend
legislative proposals to strengthen the nation’s international and
foreign language expertise.
RECOMMENDED
ACTIONS FOR THE U.S. SECRETARY OF EDUCATION AND OTHER CABINET MEMBERS
- Make
funds available to support international education programs programs
and language courses, particularly at the elementary and secondary
levels.
- Recognize
the efforts of outstanding practitioners who have expanded teaching
about other world regions in their schools and districts.
-
Speak out about the importance of international understanding and
foreign-language proficiency to support our nation’s interests, and
use travel opportunities to stress the importance of international
education to counterparts in other nations.
RECOMMENDED
ACTIONS FOR CONGRESS
- Allocate
funding to develop a cadre of Asian language teachers for the primary
and secondary levels.
- Strengthen
and expand the outreach functions of national research centers (Title
VI programs).
- Fund
pilot technology-enhanced student and teacher exchange projects that
link U.S. schools with schools in other parts of the world.
Get
involved!
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