North Carolina

The Center for International Understanding’s K-12 global education efforts are in their fifth year. During that time period, the Center has raised $860,000 and has received an additional $800,000 in state funding to support statewide collaborative efforts to strengthen international education. Efforts of the past year have focused on school partnerships with China, using technology to link elementary schools to other countries, and advancing global awareness at the legislative level.

• SCHOOL PARTNERSHIPS: The Center is implementing an MOU between the N.C. State Board of Education and the education ministry of Jiangsu Province in China to support the international school partnerships. The Center recruits schools in N.C. and in China, conducts professional development workshops about the partnership country, and leads principals and “partnership coordinators” from each school on a one-week trip to learn about their partner country and to plan with their partner school. The Center supports the 25 partnerships for two years with curricular advice and access to 21st Century technologies that allow students to collaborate with their peers abroad.
• TECHNOLOGY: K-6 students are gaining first-hand knowledge of world areas they are studying through the Cultural Correspondents program, which uses technology to link classrooms in grades K-6 with students from North Carolina universities who are studying abroad. They present lessons on their host country, culture, and experiences that are aligned with the N.C. Standard Course of Study. In the past year, this learning through technology has directly involved 917 elementary students in five school districts.
•  LEGISLATIVE CAUCUS: The North Carolina General Assembly has established the nation’s first international caucus. The International Business and Trade Caucus has grown to over 30 legislators.  The Caucus is co-chaired by a Democratic House member and Republican Senator who traveled with the Center to Mexico in 2008 on an international education and business mission. A bill currently making its way through the legislative process establishes the Global Engagement Study Commission, which calls on legislators to develop a Strategic Plan for Global Engagement to coordinate global efforts in education (pre-K through higher education), state government and business.