Wisconsin

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction continues to emphasize the importance of global education for all students and recognizes that global competence is a basic requirement for future workers and good citizens. In 2010-11 advocacy for global education in Wisconsin have focused on two major initiatives:

• A new direction of the Statewide International Council: State Superintendent Tony Evers appointed the Dean of the Division of International Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison as its chair. Dean Bousquet focuses on developing global talent in K-12 and post-secondary education, and two major meetings have brought together business and education leaders in the state. Ultimately, this conversation will lead to stronger global education programs for all students with two purposes in mind: to position students better for jobs in the global economy and to build a stronger foundation for good citizenship in an interconnected world.

• Global Wisconsin is a new video project that has been under development during this school year. The Department of Public Instruction collaborates with the Wisconsin Educational Communcations Board and Wisconsin Public Television to highlight excellent international education programs in our schools. These recordings of about five minutes in length each will serve as examples for other schools who are planning similar efforts. The project will be ready and introduced to the public at the beginning of the 2011-12 school year. Other initiatives continue, such as semester student exchange programs, teacher international professional development, or administrator exchanges with our sister province Heilongjiang, China. All of these projects are designed to create as many opportunities as possible for Wisconsin citizens to interact with people from different backgrounds and with different perspectives.

Contact information: Gerhard Fischer, Gerhard.Fischer@dpi.wi.gov

Updated September 2011