Teaching the World: A New Requirement for Teacher Preparation

Abstract

Lack of attention to international issues in our schools stems in part from a lack of preparation among teachers, Mr. Kelly charges. But that situation is ripe for change, and both teachers and professors are ready and willing to make it happen. IT IS commendable that the Kappan has devoted this special section to examining what to do about the gap between what students in America's K- 12 schools need to learn about the world outside our borders and what, in fact, they are learning. The world is changing, and, inescapably, America is changing along with it. Unfortunately, our schools are not responding to these challenges as rapidly or as effectively as they should. We know that there are deep problems throughout our decentralized education system that will not be resolved quickly or easily. International education has not been properly emphasized in state standards for what students should know, in the assessments of what students are learning, in textbooks and other teaching materials, in states' curricula, or in the priorities (i.e., reading and math) emphasized in the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. International content simply has not been a focus of most of the current efforts to strengthen student learning. But we must acknowledge that one reason for the lack of attention to international education in our schools is that our teachers have not been prepared to teach students about other nations, regions, and peoples. Preservice preparation programs and inservice professional development initiatives have not adequately responded to the realities of today's globalized world. One might think that a likely place to find an emphasis on international content would be in the preparation for teaching history. However, in its groundbreaking 2001 report Asia in the Schools, the National Commission on Asia in the Schools reported that not one of America's 50 top-ranked schools of education required students preparing to teach history and social studies to take even one course in Asian history. Another logical place to search for an emphasis on international education would be in state licensing requirements for teachers. But the same report concluded that none of the licensing provisions in the 50 states required teachers to study Asia and other regions and cultures as part of their teacher preparation program.1 Achieving change in teacher education is not easy. There are over 1,000 institutions offering preservice programs for prospective teachers. Programs vary across states and across institutions within states. Courses are taught by some 20,000 faculty members, many of whom are not themselves knowledgeable about other peoples and regions. Teacher preparation programs are in large part focused on preparing students to be teachers in their local communities and thus may underemphasize international issues and content. Most teachers are trained at state universities, but expertise about other regions is concentrated in the area studies programs of major research universities. Fewer prospective teachers than students in other disciplines take advantage of opportunities to study abroad.2 There are those who have totally given up on teacher education. Some pessimists simply don't believe that any teacher education is useful or needed; they would prefer that teachers complete a liberal arts education and then learn to teach on the job. Some involved in the debate are impatient, demanding that there be much quicker changes made in the skills of today's teachers than can be achieved through reforms in preservice programs alone. And, let's admit it, some have a political agenda that seeks to weaken and, if possible, unravel the interlocking arrangements that link the quality control programs of the teaching profession. These programs include accreditation systems such as NCATE (National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education), state licensure requirements, advanced professional certification through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), and teacher education programs. …