Michigan

Despite serious state budget deficits, Michigan has maintained and expanded its commitment and capacity to prepare students for life and work in an international environment.  Michigan’s new high school graduation requirements, which apply to graduates in 2010, include two years of a world language and one year of world history.  Michigan is one of the 46 states working toward national standards that will align with international benchmarks.

At the local level school, districts such as Oakland County have committed to providing K-12 instruction in Mandarin Chinese in every school. The International Baccalaureate Schools of Michigan boasts more than 70 member schools.  Several districts have instituted language immersion programs at the pre-K or early elementary level and are adding grade levels each year as students progress. 

Michigan State University (MSU) has identified and developed important resources for districts through its College of Education, including the US-China Center for Research on Educational Excellence, the Confucius Institute at MSU, and the Office for K-12 Outreach Programs. A collaboration between the Confucius Institute and Michigan Virtual High School has provided on-line instruction in Mandarin Chinese to more than 1,000 students.  The institute has also developed a program to recruit, screen and engage certified teachers of Mandarin Chinese to work in Michigan schools. 

The MSU Office for K-12 Outreach has partnered with the  Education Alliance of Michigan to  sponsor statewide conferences on internationalizing Michigan education and has integrated an international dimension into on-going work in school reform by becoming the first American hub for iNet, the International Networking for Educational Transformation, which links over 5,000 schools in more than 30 countries around the world in their efforts to transform teaching and learning.  More than 150 schools in Michigan have joined iNet during the past year.

Contact information:      Barbara Markle, Markle@msu.edu.