In the Spring of 1998 the Portland (Oregon) Public Schools hired Dr. Pamela Settlegoode as an adapted physical education teacher for the coming academic year. Her job was to provide adapated PE to students with disabilities in three different schools and to draft individualized education plans (IEPs) in accordance with federal law. Soon after…

The idea of people who are "under your nose" yet unseen seemed relevant as the author read two documents that draw on the same research. They use different language and come to different conclusions. The differences are subtle to be sure, but one document tends not to see much, while the other sees a lot. The first document is the National…

Plenty of state policies have been noteworthy in 2004, but one that had major impact went into effect in Illinois, where the governance of education was significantly restructured. S.B. 3000 (the Education Reform and Accountability Act of 2004) gives the governor greater influence over education through his or her control of the state board of…

The Internet was designed as an open system that promoted the two-way flow of information. In other words, everything that is sent has a return address called an IP or Internet Protocol address of the form: 000.11.222.33. Whenever you connect to a website, the site learns your IP address. It also learns the type of computer you are using, the…

Ms. Kagan and Ms. Stewart, guest editors of this special section, present a discussion of the need to strengthen international education in American schools. Noting the gap between American students' international knowledge and skills and those they will need to effectively navigate an increasingly interconnected world, the editors sound a call…

In the 21st century, Americans find themselves living in an increasingly interconnected world in which the marketplace is global and in which peace and stability require greater knowledge of different regions, cultures, and languages. In this article, the authors call on all education stakeholders to help internationalize our K-12 schools.

U.S. schools today must adapt to life in the global age. In this article, the authors offer an overview of actions that some schools and states have already taken, along with their suggestions for federal action. Sections include: (1) The International Knowledge Gap; (2) Addressing the Need for Global Knowledge; (3) Goals for International…

The public has not yet embraced international education. In this article, the author argues, to articulate a clear vision of international education to replace the perception that it is a nonessential add-on to the conventional curriculum. Sections include: (1) Through a Glass Darkly; (2) Current Frames in Play; and (3) Telling a Story the Public…

If it is time to put the "world" into a world-class education, the author argues, then it is time to make foreign languages a greater priority in the U.S. education system. About 6% of the world's population speaks English as its primary language. English is widely spoken as a second language in countries where it has official status along with…

In this article, the author claims that lack of attention to international issues in our schools stems in part from a lack of preparation among teachers. But that situation is ripe for change, and both teachers and professors are ready and willing to make it happen.

Rapid developments in computer and telecommunications technology have allowed U.S. students unprecedented access to information about people, cultures, and events from around the world. In this article, the author argues that schools need to exploit the opportunity that this provides to further global understanding. Sections include: (1) Access to…

The improvement of international education in U.S. schools cries out for strong national leadership. The authors, guest editors of this special section, make the case that helping students become globally competent citizens is crucial to the future prosperity and security of the United States, and they discuss strategies for making this happen.…

Are programs that emphasize systematic phonics instruction truly superior to other types of programs for young readers, as the National Reading Panel claims? The authors conducted a study of three different programs to see what kinds of readers are actually emerging from them. Two were commercial programs that used explicit and systematic phonics…

It was during the early 1990s that the author began to suspect that teenagers were reading less--and less deeply--than they had been 10 and certainly 20 years ago. He found this paradoxical, because it was during the 1990s that SAT scores seemed to soar along with the economy. Students talked about them constantly, like securities traders in a…

One of Canada's more frequently quoted political malapropisms is attributed to Robert Thompson, who sternly reminded his fellow parliamentarians in 1973 that "the Americans are our best friends, whether we like it or not." This cross-border friendship is partly expedient, partly geographic, partly genuine, sometimes one-sided, and almost always…