Executive Director's Report: Good school produce 'globally competent' students

So before we throw in the towel, all of us -- and especially, the news media -- need to be reminded of some facts: We still graduate a whole lot of terrifically talented, well-educated students. We also produce about 296,000 college graduates each year who have majored in math, science, or engineering, including 63,000 in engineering alone, according to the National Center of Education Statistics.

Oh, and by the way, the U.S. Department of Labor has forecast that there will be only 22,000 software and engineering jobs each year, while there will be five times as many jobs for janitors, cleaners, waiters, and food servers.

However, having stated those “inconvenient truths,” I will concede that, I too, believe that we are not measuring up to the expectations we must have for our children’s future.

While other countries are making education a top priority -- particularly focusing on math, science, and engineering -- Congress and the President do not have the guts to do the same. They promise one thing ($25 billion to fund Title I) and deliver another (just $12.7 billion). They promise $16.9 billion for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, while current proposals call for just $10.6 billion in the House and $10.7 billion in the Senate.

OK, now I’ve gotten that off my chest, let’s talk about global competitiveness. It is a real issue, and it’s going to be even more critical as the 21st century progresses.

We need to create schools that prepare students for an internationally competitive, globally interactive world. And we need to create experiences for our kids that turn them on to education and fire them up -- in high school and middle school, as well as the primary grades.

We know that the high school dropout rate, by all measures near 30 percent (and greater in urban schools), is in large part due to boredom. Seemingly irrelevant subjects are sometimes taught in a bland manner, and some teachers are burned out, or worse, improperly trained. School does not seem vital to many teens’ lives.

So how do we make today’s high schools and middle schools not just better but highly academic and engaging places to learn and to teach?

Last week, I was privileged to attend a session of the Asia Society Summer Institute, where I heard from the 10 teacher-principal teams that are part of the society’s Network of International Studies Schools. These teams are redesigning their schools to be energized, personal, and academically demanding, as well as globally focused.

How are they doing it? Foundation money has helped, but, more important, these schools have a highly dedicated set of leaders and teachers. Is what they’re doing transferable? Probably. That is the challenge, isn’t it?

Meeting these school leaders energized me. They were fabulous. But as you read about these schools, I don’t think you will find much that is terribly new or anything that will stun you. Your reaction is not likely to be, “We could never do that.”

Even the school where 100 percent of the kids have laptops is possible elsewhere with good business and community partnerships, supplemented, of course, by E-rate support for telecommunications services and infrastructure.

All of these schools have targeted poor, minority children. Their goal is to ensure that every student is ready for college and will be globally competent. Many of the schools also have a strong STEM focus. (That’s jargon for science, technology, engineering, and math.)

Schools can do this, and school boards can ask the right question, “Why not us?”

So here is some information about five schools in the Asia Society’s network:

• The Academy for International Studies, located on the campus of Independence High School in Charlotte, N.C., is the only one operating as a school within a school.

Students in the academy have consistently outperformed their peers at Independence High and the larger Charlotte community on North Carolina’s end-of-course tests.

Students participated in several projects that contributed to the international aspects of the school: They created an Asian garden on campus, took a field trip to the local Greek festival, and put on an international festival at the end of the year.

• The Henry Street School for International Studies benefits from the rich cultural diversity in the Lower East Side of New York City, just a few blocks from Chinatown.

The school opened its doors to a group of middle-school students in September 2004 and will expand to grades 6-12. Academics are a priority at Henry Street, and this year, 97 percent of seventh-graders passed the state’s English/language arts exam.

Henry Street students initiated several community service projects. They collected coats for needy New York City children, conducted a fund-raiser for tsunami victims, and participated in a videoconference with Bangladeshi students to broaden their global understanding.

• The International Studies Learning Center at Southgate, in Los Angeles, opened as a middle school in 2004 and next year will encompass grades 6-10.

This school offers teachers common planning time that has enabled them to take advantage of sustained professional development on standards-based instruction. The international culture of the school is evident through multiple courses on various Asian languages and a model U.N. program -- it even has an elective on world drumming!

• The College of Staten Island High School for International Studies opened its doors to just 100 ninth-graders last fall. The high school is located on the campus of the college, and its students will be able to earn college credits while still in high school.

Faculty members make a deliberate effort to infuse a global perspective into all subjects. The advisory program encourages students to explore their own identities as individuals, as members of the local community, and as global citizens.

The school hosted students from Bahrain for a week-long visit, and one class created an international newspaper produced in collaboration with students in the Middle East and Europe, who contribute stories via the Internet.

• The Vaughn International Studies Academy, a high school led by renowned educator Yvonne Chan, opened this past fall on the campus of the preK-8 Next Century Learning Center in Los.Angeles and will move into a brand-new building next year.

Ninety-five percent of this year’s freshman class met state standards. This accomplishment is particularly notable in a community where more than 95 percent of students are low-income and minority and there is a high percentage of English language learners.

Technology is a high priority at the Vaughn Academy. One hundred percent of the students were issued laptops, and the school is in line to receive a $3 million bond for facilities enhancement and technology.

A partnership with Mission College enables all students to enroll in community college courses that are integrated with their high school program. Students and teachers held an Asian festival on June 20 as a culmination of their yearlong studies on Southeast Asia.

What are the common threads of these outstanding schools? For one thing, there is an emphasis on foreign language instruction -- Chinese, French, Spanish, and any number of other languages are offered. There’s also a clear focus on advanced math, engineering, and other STEM courses.

Planning time for teachers is a must. Integrated technology also is key, enabling students to reach across world boundaries as if it were a trip to the local Chinese restaurant. And these schools have a faculty and leadership willing to try new things while also being dedicated to measuring standard learning results.

And you know what I will bet? Close to zero dropouts -- among kids and teachers. Will these students become savvy citizens, creative workers, and lifelong learners? I will bet on it.

Even as these schools are still in the process of being created, they are wonderful stories of success. Are they unique? No way. Are there elements of their programs that could be transferable across state lines? You bet.