District Strategies to Prepare a Globally Competent Generation

by Heather Singmaster

Districts around the country recognize that in the 21st century, international knowledge and skills are a necessity for every child. In order to be able to embrace new opportunities and address critical challenges, students must be globally competent: They must have the capacity and disposition to understand and act on issues of global significance.

Use the Global Competence Planning Rubric to help prepare your students to be globally competent by the time they graduate high school.

Building global competence into all pK–12 schools throughout a district is a complex process that requires the engagement of the education, government, and business sectors, in addition to nonprofit, community, and parent organizations. The specific shape of any international-education initiative will depend on the state’s and district’s education structures and resources. See examples of district reforms on this website.

This tool has been developed by Asia Society’s Partnership for Global Learning and is based on a version created for states in conjunction with the members of the States Network on International Education in the Schools. Its design was based on the vision and experiences of educational leaders, and its purpose is to assist in the planning and assessment of state- and district-level strategies.

We hope you will find this tool useful in your efforts to build the global knowledge, skills, and dispositions of pK–12 students in your state, and that you will share your ideas, experiences, and examples with us via the email address below.