Prepping Students for a Global Society

At a time when No Child Left Behind requirements have our teachers fixated on testing, several schools and programs have been recognized for promoting international education at a grassroots level. Instead of hyping strategies to pass tests, the educators involved with these efforts are preparing students to meet the demands of the global community.

Earlier this month, Asia Society announced the 2007 winners of The Goldman Sachs Foundation Prizes for Excellence in International Education.The following winners received $25,000 for helping promote cultural awareness, world history, and a global curriculum as education essentials.

1. Ohio's State Board of Education is the first in the country to engage in a systematic international benchmarking study. The state's Creating a World Class Education System ( PDF, 2.24 MB) in Ohio compares its educational system to others globally and makes recommendations for policy changes. The Board has also revised its state curriculum standards to increase the amount of international content in which students are expected to demonstrate proficiency.

2. Sunset Elementary School in Miami, Florida is an urban magnet and neighborhood school that, for the past 20 years, has offered a unique International Studies magnet program to its diverse student population. The program offers an inquiry-based, global curriculum focused on the topics of civic responsibility, cultural and environmental awareness, and knowledge of the global economy.Coursework includes foreign language programs and instruction in math, science and social studies in foreign languages.

3. Eugene International High School in Eugene, Oregon is a teacher-developed school-within-a-school across three high school campuses in that serves approximately 1,300 students.Established 20 years ago, the required core curriculum centers around culture, history, economics, and political and belief systems. Each grade level focuses on a particular region of the world through coursework. Students are required to take at least three years of French, Spanish, Japanese or German.

4. Reischauer Scholars Program, Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE). The program is a college-level distance learning course for high school students that provides a broad overview of Japanese history, literature, religion, art, politics, economics, education and U.S.-Japan relations. The course, offered in 29 states, involves 10 sessions held over six months and is taught by senior scholars, diplomats, and other experts from the U.S. and Japan. Students can earn college credit by engaging in lectures, readings and online discussions.

This is clear evidence that despite a flawed NCLB Act, public school educators are as dedicated as ever to providing graduates with the skills they need to compete in our global society.

--John Rosales