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Strategies for Getting Started

As you examine the status of international education in your community/state consider what other states have done to begin the process. Click on each strategy for a description and examples from these states:

Strategies for Getting Started		State Pioneers
Governor’s Legislative Task Force		CT, DE, KS, NJ, NC, OK, VT, WV, WI
Analytic Report		DE, KS, MA, MI, NM, OK, VT, WV, WI
Statewide Summit		CT, MA, NJ, NM, VT
School-to-School Partnerships		CT, OK, MA
TeacherProfessional Development		DE, OK, WV

Governor's Legislative Task Force

States that have a supportive state leadership group have been able to develop high-level task forces appointed by the Governor and/or the State Legislature. Buy-in from all sectors business, government, community, and education is important to advance a new agenda, therefore representatives from each should be included. A task force can build awareness and mobilize leadership and grassroots support while investigating how to promote an international focus in state policy. Task forces can also suggest an action plan. The time given to a task force should be limited to six months to a year to avoid the danger of a change in the state legislator or governor, which could result in the loss of support and momentum.

Analytic Reports

Analytic reports share information and build the case for international education. States and communities used a combination of surveys, focus groups, task forces, and other research tools to gather data on what is currently being done and where areas of further need lay. Reports should be widely disseminated to all interested parties. To view samples of analytic reports click here. For more information on analytic reports click here.

State Summit

If a state is not able to appoint a task force, another option is to convene a statewide conference. A summit provides an opportunity for an intensive training session for leaders from several sectors or even one specific sector, such as the business community. Conferences can provide on-site training (with graduate credit for teachers), allow for networking and resource gathering, build support, and serve as a forum for the brainstorming of ideas. A description of specific state conferences with links to their websites can be found here.

School-to-School Partnerships

School-to-school partnerships involve a school in the United States being partnered with a school in another country. What results from the partnership is up to the individual schools. A relationship can involve anything from having students write to each other as pen pals to collaborative classes to exchange programs with the sister school. Many states have begun partnerships with a province in China. To find out more information on the possibilities, contact The China Exchange Initiative. Technology partnerships are another possibility. One example is iEARN, a non-profit organization made up of over 15,000 schools in 100 countries. iEARN empowers teachers and young people to work together online using the Internet and other new communications technologies.

Professional Development Courses

Teachers are not being properly prepared to teach about the international dimension of their subjects and very few teachers-in-training take advantage of travel abroad or exchange opportunities. Some states have addressed this by offering teacher training programs. West Virginia held the first Governor's International Summer Institute in July of 2003, offering graduate credits for attendees. The Institute focused on West Virginia's place in the global economy specifically in industry, commerce, ecology, and geography. Oklahoma has instituted a program called OASIS Ambassadors, consisting of a group of teachers who are experts at infusing international studies into the curriculum. Interested parties can browse a list of available teachers on the OASIS website and contact them directly for help.