District Administration - March 2011 - (Page 52)

Global Learning Scales Up BY RON SCHACHTER Districts build on the success of private, internationally oriented schools and foreign language programs. ECOMING MORE GLOBAL IS A FAMILIAR REFRAIN FOR many a school administrator or curriculum developer wrestling with delivering 21st century skills. Over the past decade, districts have expanded their foreign language programs, added Mandarin Chinese to the mix, and in some cases launched language immersion classes in their elementary schools. Others have opened entire schools designed around international education. Not only do these schools promote proﬁciency in one or more foreign languages, but they also embed international perspectives in all content areas, from social studies to the arts, and they make extensive use of online learning to interact with students and teachers in other countries. But while initiatives like these were often regarded as experimental or, at best, unique just a few years ago, a growing number of school districts are taking global learning to the next level by replicating schools with a global bent. e increasing emphasis on globally oriented education is welcome but overdue, says Sarah Jerome, superintendent of the Arlington Heights (Ill.) School District 25 and a former president of the American Association of School Administrators. “I think we’ve been a pretty complacent bunch as school leaders, especially with not encouraging language courses and even letting languages drop from the curriculum,” she observes. During her AASA tenure in 2007-2008, Jerome advocated for internationally oriented curricula in schools and forged a relationship with the Asia Society, which has helped districts around the country “go global” over the past decade. It’s a nonpartisan, nonproﬁt educational institution with a goal to promote understanding among the people, leaders and institutions of the United States and Asia. ere have been some early adopters. e Seattle Public Schools started thinking about global learning before the turn of the 21st century. In 2000, the district opened the John Stanford International School after several years of consultations with parents, educators and local business leaders, as well as extensive redesign of the elementary curriculum to contain international perspectives and professional development for the school’s teachers. e K5 school also launched language immersion programs in Japanese and Spanish, chosen because of Seattle’s substantial Japanese and Hispanic populations. A similarly designed middle school, the Hamilton International School, opened in 2001. Propelled by Stanford and Hamilton’s success in academic achievement and 52 March 2011 B Top, a student at the Denver Center for International Studies (DCIS) points to a world map while mentoring young students in social studies; middle, students in the John Stanford International School in Seattle perform a Japanese dance; and, bottom, a DCIS student (wearing black) interns with a surgeon in India and visits a woman’s center, which teaches life skills. District Administration

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - March 2011

District Administration - March 2011
Contents
From the Editor
Letters
News Update
Technology Update
Administrator Profile
District Profile
Books
New Products
Learning Gets Personal
What’s Your Data Integration Strategy?
Global Learning Scales Up
New Approach to Reeling in Tech Funding
Facilities of Environmental Distinction
Professional Opinion
Supervisor's Opinion
Superintendent's Insights

District Administration - March 2011