Who's Who : Public Policy

AN AGENDA FOR INTERNATIONALIZING
AMERICA'S EDUCATION SYSTEM AND ITS CITIZENRY

Association of International Education Administrators 2001 Working Agenda

To sustain the nation's contributions in the global marketplace of ideas and commerce, and to strengthen the capacity of the U.S. in its global leadership role, the Federal government, in partnership with the nation's educational system, the private sector and non-governmental organizations, must assure that the nation has a broadly informed citizenry and workforce that is cross-culturally competent and internationally aware.

The impacts of globalization are widespread and strengthening, and with both strong critics and proponents. An educated citizenry needs to be aware of these realities, understand their complexities and consequences, and be able to function humanely and effectively within them.

Study after study reveals a woeful lack of basic knowledge about world affairs and skills in cultural exchange, mobility and languages. The U.S. falls far short on virtually all indicators of such competence and awareness. Our educational system, in partnership with government, the private sector and non-governmental organizations, can redress these deficiencies and prepare the next generation for the responsibilities and challenges of global leadership.

Since the end of the Cold War, the world has become more diverse in the sources of conflict and threats to national security, and more interdependent through world-spanning systems of communication, culture, markets and technology. These changes are accelerating and will not wait for us to meet the challenge. We must act now.

The K-12, post-secondary and continuing education systems must systematically internationalize their curricula, outreach, and experiential-learning programs. The study of languages and other cultures should be pervasive, beginning in the earliest school years, continuing through the post-secondary years, and extending into a citizen's adult life.

To achieve this broad advance, it is essential to have internationally aware and experienced faculty at all levels, as well as up-to-date knowledge of languages, cultures and political and social systems.

Academic units throughout American colleges and universities must prepare the next generation of leaders and professionals in their fields to work and live in the global environment. Faculty at all levels of our educational system need to develop global and comparative dimensions in virtually every aspect of the curriculum. Schools and departments of education throughout the U.S., in partnership with faculties in area studies, languages, and other internationally focused subjects, must provide teachers, counselors, principals, superintendents, and community college personnel with the knowledge base and pedagogical skills for internationalizing the educational system.

ACTION AGENDA

The Federal government has a key leadership role to play and has the capacity and resources to catalyze and help coordinate a nationwide partnership of education systems, state and local governments, the private sector, and non-governmental organizations to achieve our objectives. Federal funding and programming should take into consideration the full range of Federal agencies, programs and relevant legislative authorizations related to the Departments of State, Education, Commerce, Defense and the Agency for International Development. The following proposals are intended to enhance existing programs, as well as to support new ones in areas of unmet need.

Actions desperately in need of new or enhanced Federal support and leadership include the following.

A. Internationalize Curricula and Learning.

An internationalized curriculum in K-12 schools and in colleges and universities is essential to prepare all citizens to become effective workers and participants in the global economy and in an increasingly diverse and multi-cultural workplace.

More specifically, conditions and capacity should be created so that the following goals can be achieved:

1. Every K-12 student has significant exposure to international and comparative content that is integrated into their curricula throughout their primary and secondary education years.

2. International content is infused into the curricula for every post-secondary undergraduate major.

3. World-area and comparative-studies curricular modules are tailored to professional, technical and scientific disciplines.

Increased collaboration between the nation's K-12 and post-secondary educational systems would enhance achievement of these goals.

Examples of Proposed Programs:

• Expand support for technology innovation and cooperation for foreign information access and WWWeb interactive learning.
• Increase annual funding for K-12 and post-secondary curricular projects that result in an expansion of the number of students taking courses with comparative content and the number of majors with international and comparative content and language learning opportunities integrated into the curriculum.
• Establish annual competitive scholarships for faculty and teachers for intensive summer or academic year language and area study.
• Establish and fund National Resource Centers for Global Education, similar to the area studies centers and the CIBER system of centers. These centers could assist the nation's teacher education programs, in partnership with other faculties on campuses, and in partnership with local school systems and state boards of education, to provide education personnel with the knowledge and skills needed to educate a new generation of globally competent citizens.
• Link these Centers with the knowledge base and outreach capacities of the Title VI national resource centers in order to assist curriculum development and faculty development in the K-12 and post-secondary systems. These Centers should develop the content and methods of a new pedagogy for preparing K-12 teachers.

  B. Enhance Foreign Language Acquisition

  An integral aspect of preparing globally competent citizens is the acquisition of proficiency in at least one second language. Foreign language proficiency is needed in all languages, but especially in those languages that are of strategic (economic and political) importance to the US.

  The goal should be to establish a national capacity that permits all K-12 students to study foreign languages, and for all K-12 graduates who enter post-secondary educational institutions to have attained at least a mid to high intermediate level of proficiency in a foreign language (as defined by the ACTFL scale). Capacity also must expand dramatically to increase the proportion of K-12 and post-secondary students who study languages other than those of Western European origin. Competency-based foreign language instruction goals should take the place of arbitrary "seat time" goals throughout our educational system.

  More specifically, the following goals should be pursued:

  1. Establish programs to diversify foreign language pedagogy and the means to acquire competency-level proficiencies for all learners (K-12, post-secondary, and adult learners).
  2. Encourage the learning of languages for all post-secondary majors-both liberal arts majors and majors in professional fields such as business, engineering, and education.
  3. Support the development and implementation of cost-effective methods (including the use of applied technology) for the instruction of less commonly taught languages (LCTLs), and support their availability in K-12 and post secondary institutions.

  Examples of Proposed Programs:

• Expand funding to develop pedagogy and programs for teaching LCTLs.
• Enhance support for Title VI National Language Resource Centers.

  C. Sustain, Update and Diversify International, Area and Thematic Expertise.

  Achieving global competency requires having an effective working knowledge of other countries, societies, and their languages. International, geographic area, and internationally-focused thematic studies centers in US colleges and universities have played a vital role in accumulating and disseminating that knowledge to their students and faculty as well as to the public in the past fifty years.

  The goal is to build upon, expand and continuously update international area and thematic knowledge and language-learning capacity in many more diverse cultures, and in both major and less commonly taught languages. More specifically, the following goals should be pursued:

  1. Expand the research capacity of our post-secondary education systems to continuously update and diversify our international and area expertise.

  2. Expand language and area/country skills of faculty and graduate students in professional and technical fields such as business, education, environment, law, crime and terrorism, economics, health, food and hunger, conflict resolution, and information technology.

  3. Expand the exchange of scholars and the formation of bilateral and consortial partnerships with higher education and research institutions abroad.

  4. Build international education outreach partnerships among educational institutions, government, NGOs and the private sector.

  Examples of Programs:

• Restore funding for Title VI National Resource Centers to 1960s levels in constant dollars.
• Expand funding for Foreign Language and Area Study fellowships and expand Fulbright-Hays training grants for doctoral Pre-Dissertation and Dissertation Research Abroad.
• Expand Fulbright-Hays training grants for faculty research abroad, group projects abroad, and bilateral projects.
• Establish a competitive grant program for post secondary institutions to develop sustainable and in-depth linkages with institutions abroad (coordinated with existing efforts such as the USAID funded Association Liaison Office program).
• Enhance annual support for Centers for International Business Education Research and international business and education research.
• Establish new support for internationalization of professional programs (e.g., environment, health, engineering, communications).

  D. Support Study, Internships and Experiential Learning Abroad.

  Research and experience have shown that the most effective method for teaching students new cultures and languages is to have them learn, live, and work in another country and culture. Such international experiences not only provide those students with an effective international and cross-cultural education, but also end up being life changing experiences for many. Students returning to campus help further internationalize the on-campus learning environment.

  The goal is to increase the number of post-secondary students and professional-development, life-long learners who study abroad or engage in experiential learning abroad each year.

  More specifically, the following goals should be pursued by post-secondary institutions of the US:

  1. Develop and integrate study abroad options into every post-secondary major.
  2. Diversify study abroad options beyond Western Europe and general education, and broaden program models and the diversity of students who participate.
  3. Promote exchanges of professionals, scholars, community leaders and citizens through study tours, interagency exchanges, and fieldwork and research experiences.

  Examples of Programs:

• Institutional Study Abroad Scholarship Program: Establish a new program of grants to post-secondary institutions to be used for small, incentive scholarships for their students with economic need, and especially for those who attend programs in non-Western-European locations under a variety of study abroad models for academic credit.
• Institutional Study Abroad Innovation Grants: Expand funding for innovation grants to institutions to develop new forms of cost-effective study abroad programs throughout the world but especially in non-Western-European locations, or which employ non-traditional learning pedagogies (e.g., incorporating internship components).
• National Competitive Individual Study Abroad Scholarships: Expand a national competitive scholarship program for students who study abroad for an academic year or a semester, with special emphasis given to non-Western-European study locations.

  E. Expand the Number of and Better Integrate International Students and Visiting Scholars Studying in the United States.

  Not all US students will be able to live, study, or work in another culture. However, over half a million students from over 120 different countries are studying in colleges and universities in the US. These students are an invaluable resource on US campuses for educational programs that are meant to build global and cross-cultural understanding, especially for those students who won't be able to travel abroad.

  The goal is to increase the number of international students studying in the United States; to broaden the number of American institutions receiving significant numbers of international students and scholars; to diversify the types of majors in which significant numbers enroll; and to integrate international students into campus living and learning environments.

  More specific goals are:

  1. Streamline and liberalize national policies and regulations (e.g., visa, employment and taxation) affecting the flow of international students to the US.
  2. Revitalize U.S. offices and agents abroad to supply information and tout higher education options and opportunities in the United States.
  3. Support the development of innovative programs that integrate international students into the campus living and learning environments and their experiences into the classroom environment.
  4. Support scholarship/fellowship programs that facilitate the flow of highly qualified international students (both graduate and undergraduate) into the US.

  Examples of Proposed Programs:

• Fund an effective Overseas Educational Advisors system.
• Expand scholarship programs to provide more support to highly qualified and needy international students for study in the United States.
• Expand funding to institutions for model innovation projects that improve how international students are welcomed and integrated into the campus living and learning environments.