Competency 3

Examine implications of global trends and issues for future planning.

Educational leaders must have the ability to:

• Recognize global issues and trends that may or do affect education systems.
• Analyze potential effects and implications of business, environmental, societal, and other trends   for education systems, including the need to be globally competitive.
• Examine the relationship among global, national, and local conditions and the organization.
• Identify resources that support continuous development of global awareness.
• Use knowledge of global trends and issues for planning.
• Use futuring tools and methods to examine needs.

In today's ever-changing world, educational leaders must not only be aware of the impact of education on our global future, but must also be able to transmit this knowledge to tomorrow's leaders. Leaders must also value and appreciate what can be learned from other people and other nations. To be effective educators of the future, an awareness of the richness and diversity of nations around the world must be a part of a leader's vision. 

In "Lessons from Abroad: Teaching Policy To Improve Student Learning," Olsen (2007) suggests that teachers are the most important factors in student learning; yet she also indicates that methods for preparing teachers vary greatly among the various nations. Olsen further suggests that a critical issue for any nation seeking to keep its education system viable and internationally competitive is to understand the lessons from other nations regarding "how to recruit, retain, develop, and nurture a high-quality teaching force" (p. 1).

Educators around the world face similar problems when developing programs to prepare leaders of the future. Olsen (2007) reported extensively on the educational development and training programs of eight nations. To cope with the demands on new teachers, Olsen found that nations are creating "induction" programs designed to transform teacher education programs into life-long programs focusing on teaching as a profession (p. 2).

The need to cooperate with other nations to improve the quality of education in the future was mentioned by Senator Hillary Clinton in her opening statement before the Senate confirmation committee regarding her nomination as Secretary of State. She stated that working effectively with international organizations to build schools and train teachers was imperative for the future. The establishment of a Global Education Fund to encourage secular education around the world was also mentioned as a goal of President Obama.

The goal of the Council for Global Education (CGE) is to create a world where values such as peace, coexistence, reverence for all forms of life, and responsibility are the norm. To achieve this goal, CGE has developed a global education model founded upon universal values, global understanding, excellence in all things, and service to humanity. These building blocks could and should serve as the foundation of any educational program concerned with examining global trends and planning for the future.

References

A Handbook for Advancing Comprehensive Internationalization: What Institutions Can Do and What Students should Learn, 2006
Madeline Green, Barbara Hill, and Christa Olson
American Council on Education

Building a Strategic Framework for Comprehensive Internationalization, 2008.
Madeline Green, Barbara Hill, and Christa Olson
America Council on Education

Educating Global Citizens in Colleges and Universities: Challenges and Opportunities, 2008.
Peter Sterns
Routledge

Global Educators Guide to the Internet
www.educ.univ.ca/faculty/triechen

Lessons from Abroad: Teaching Policy To Improve Student Learning"
Lynn Olson, Education Week
February 14, 2007
http://www.aspeninstitute.org/atf/cf/%7BDEB6F227-659B-4EC8-8F84-8DF23CA704F5%7D/Ed_Lessons_from_Abroad.pdf

Educating for Global Citizenship
Revised and approved by the National Association of Independent Schools board in August 2006.
http://www.nais.org/about/seriesdoc.cfm?ItemNumber=148793&sn.ItemNumber=146810

The Council for Global Education.
http://www.globaleducation.org/1.htm